


~Thinking of You~

by theblackchaos737



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Multi, Mystery, Sex, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-05-16 00:58:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 36,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19307401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theblackchaos737/pseuds/theblackchaos737
Summary: My stance is undeviating. The throb in my head is subsiding as my gaze swivels around until it lands on the courtiers podium."Countess Nadia!" I yell. The crowd lowers their bloodlust chants and direct their attention to me."Yes? Would you like to address the court with something regarding this decision?"She wants me to help her, but because of Julian's stupid plan I have to save both of them now."It was me.""What was?"I glance at the guilty party for a moment, swallowing in preparation for the outcome of this declaration."I did it.""What is she saying now?" Vlastomil shrieks.I roll my eyes. "I did it! I'm the one who killed Count Lucio!"





	1. The Secrets of the Magicians

**Author's Note:**

> This story has mixture of routes, different points of view and different darker twists and turns from the beloved visual novel. Comments are welcome for first fic on here and I hope you enjoy!

**BOOK XI: Justice**

**The Rise and Fall**

The tumultuous roar of the crowd above dulled any other noise. The beast before me bobbed its long head carefully just above the sand, as it draws closer, inhaling the hot air with each small step.

…I'm tired. All of this running has made my leg and shin muscles ache, and I can practically feel the dirt crawling under my skin. I search for a plan, as my first plan had failed miserably, and reach out for the golden spear on the ground at the far right of me.

Even though my heart is pounding, I feel another unfamiliar pulse surging through my body and I freeze.

"What is she doing? Run, you fool!" Julian tries to hide the urgency in his voice as he clenches the bars in front of him.

Muriel is holding his breath, and he can't seem to cast his wide eyes away as the monster inches closer towards her.

Asra is the most strained, with his eyes fluttering to hold the moisture in. He looks for some sort of spell he could do to protect her, maybe propel a charm or barrier in her direction. As he throws his arm out, the pentagram etched in the ground of the arena glows a faint purple in little sparks, and he draws his burning fingers back in pain.

"If only I had told her sooner…" Asra was staring at the ground in agony.

"Told her what?" Julian overheard him. "Asra-" he grabbed the man's shoulders so he would be facing him. "-told her  _what_?"

…I'm remembering something. I had a weapon once, but it lacked any gold. In fact, it was a shimmering rock, as sharp as any sword held by any warrior in the land.

With the pentagram on the ground, I know I cannot summon it now, but the flash in my memory still brings me hope. I grab the spear and I look back up at the beast's gaping jaws and step back quietly, with more calculation in my steps. With all the noise, I can imagine the cunning beast is referring to my smell in order to catch me, so I have one more option.

I am reluctant for a moment when the tip of the spear hangs over my left palm, which is just enough time for the beast to take action. The blind Hekra is moving faster now- it springs its heavy body at me with full force, and I slice my hand as I tumble backwards against the wall. I smear the blood on the wall and scramble to the left, just barely slipping out of its way as it crashes into the wall.

The people in the stands above scream in furious terror, and I topple into the ground as crumbles of the stone from the wall come crashing onto my form. Part of me wants to stay down, tired and bruised, but I groan as I lift myself up again, swiping the sand from my eyes so I can catch view of the blind Hekra as it is just moving away from the wall, preparing to turn in my direction to strike again.

The blood painted across my hand is sticky with drops of sand all meshed into it, and I know I'll need more blood than this for my plan to work. Despite the burning sensation in my lungs, I sprint as quickly as I can in pathetic leaps and hops as I race to the other end of the coliseum. I catch my breath as I lean against the wall, spotting that creature coming this way. The blind Hekra begins to run too, almost like a slithering snake it crawls ever so smoothly, tracking my footprints in the sand. It makes nasty hissing noise and a sharp outcry as it lunges forward.

I hold the air in my lungs as my head starts to spin even before I slice my wrist, and when I do, the pain only feels like a sharp paper cut, then I feel a shocking coolness that spreads through my mind and body, most likely from shock when the blood comes pumping out from the wound like a spill. I manage to smear the blood on the wall again, this time it drips down in thin droplets like crimson paint or dye, and I peer over to see the Hekra cease its pacing and sniff the air again, desperately pin-pointing the iron smell that has surely filled its senses by now. I walk backwards again, carefully examining the beast as it races with an outcry towards the wall again. The people above in the stands have already started standing up and trampling over each other in a panic to flee as the Hekra crashes into the wall, desperately clawing and gnawing on the red as the walls crashes in on it.

While the beast is ravaging the stones in search of flesh to tear, I have summoned what energy I have left to leap up into the air, my shadow casting over its scaly back, and I cry out in anguish and exhaustion as the spear goes readily into the top of its head. The Hekra makes a small yelping noise, like a poor pup, and it begins to wiggle and writhe uncontrollably as I land on its back and try to gain balance, entrapping my place on it as if I were sitting on a horse. The Hekra spins around violently and I go flying forward and roll into the ground, shoulder first into the surface as I do. The read trails of blood melt into the golden sand in a trail behind me until my rolling slows to a halt.

I can hear the Hekra collapse with a loud thud, groaning one final stem of air as it does.

I'm barely conscious as shadows from the figures that raced over to me begin to cry out my name. I don't know if I was hoping for help after my little plan, or if maybe I had intended to sacrifice myself, but at least they are safe. Someone cradles my head, and the motion swims me in and out of consciousness until everything finally goes black.

.

.

**Book I: The Magician**

.

.

I am a student of the magical arts. My master is Asra, the fortuneteller. I know nothing of his past.

As for the present, I have my own secrets…

I find the place I want to have lunch at. Its just shy outside of our neighborhood, closer to the Flooded District. Down a path that is a bit rowdier than the quaint market strip I live near; The Clod Tavern:

I step in, and a few men and woman playing cards raise their heavy drinks. They make a cheerful wail to me, as if an old friend has just walked in. I nod my head and wave my hand towards them.

"Hello, everyone."

"Well, well, well…" I step towards the bartender woman as she observes me up and down, her thick dark eyebrows crease in expectation.

"Magic girl, I haven't seen your lovely face 'round here in a while!"

"I admit, I've been busy with the shop. It's been too quaint, though. My master is leaving again for another journey tonight so I figured I'd get out before I deal with it again."

"Lovely! What would you like?"

"Some kind of pale ale will do. I'd like to have lunch as well."

"I'll throw in the special for you… if you can help me with somethin'."

I lean in as the bartender lowers her voice.

"Got a guard, keeps comin' in here and out back, trying to buy materials from the people here for cheaper than their bargains can handle."

"And?"

"They're going broke, miss. He keeps threatening them with his authority, and they're given no choice. Maybe you could help out, like you did before?"

My lips are in a tight line. It seems the other tables have stirred to quiet in expectation of our supposedly private conversation. I sit up straight on the stool.

"I'll see what I can do."

"No need to be so modest! I know you got it, magic girl!" She slaps her hand on the oak bar table and slides me a cool mahogany ale to drink. A few sips in, and the guard comes marching into the small establishment.

"A dark cinder with an olive." He says, sitting a chair away from me. I'm still as he gulps the drink down. His musty aura is clearly baleful. He wipes the drink from his lip using the back of his spotty hand, and he turns to me.

"Ohhh, I know you!" He faces me more, now. "You're the witch's little—"

"I'm sorry, do you need something from me?" My eyes meet his, and he his smirks at the venom in my voice.

"Nah, sorry." He pushes back on the stool and rises with his cup. The chair falls behind him but he doesn't pick it up, and he saunters towards the back booths.

"McKalister!" He demands. I weary older man in scruffy robes releases himself from the card game on the other side of the room. Things are quieter again. The bartender shakes her head as she reaches behind the bar for something, averting her eyes from the scene.

Sitting at one of the booths, I can mildly hear their conversation.

"You got more straps, right?...Oh… heh…heh…"

I close my eyes and focus on the unpleasant aura that had been next to me before, and abruptly I can hear them much more explicitly, like echoing in my ears.

"…Yes, I have more, but… I'm afraid I can't go any lower than that." The older man speaks carefully.

"Affirmative, old chap!" The guard is talking to him real friendly like, as if they are friends. "So what's say you? They're already 20 doubloons, so I'll dive it to, what, 20 percent off of that?"

"20 percent? I'm not sure how much that would be…"

"Of course you don't, chap! It would be 14 of course!"

"Oh, right…"

"So, what's say you-"

**"16."**  I say loudly without turning around. I cut off my magic.

The room is impossibly still.

"Aye?" The guard cranes his neck around to me, and I swivel my body around on the chair to lean my arm against the back of it.

"Sorry to interrupt. You said 20 percent was 14. Its 16."

He blinks a few times, astounded, and rises from his seat, sauntering over to me in a slow, threatening stance.

"What are you? Some kind of genius?"

The question makes me want to laugh, because this should be common knowledge. But, most people in this city are illiterate, and this guard must know it.

"No, I'm just simply pointing out that you—"

"You're right, you were interrupting and its none of your damn business, witch's—"

"Actually it would be 16 doubloons that you owe him, not 14, and if you were to say otherwise, then you must be trying to swindle this poor man and his business, correct?"

"No, I know what I said. I owe him 14 for 20 percent off."

"Okay, well…. 20 percent is 20 over 100 as a fraction, so that can be reduced to one fifth. If you did one fifth of twenty by multiplication, it would be 4. Take 4 doubloons off the 20 doubloons, and that is 16, not 14, I'm afraid."

I've said so much accurate nonsense, there's no way anyone would try to argue. The guard is stiff for a moment as his fists tighten on either side.

"McKalister, let's go. Now."

The guard escorts the man by the upper arm out the bar and back outside to the back alley. I sigh, and finish my drink with gusto before I leave a coin for the bartender and rush out after them.

In the alley, the guard has his arm around the man before he turns to look at me again, with his hand firmly on his sword.

"You need to go, or be cut down. This doesn't concern you, bi—"

I've got his wrist. He yells in surprise at the painful sensation, and I twist it behind his back and he crouches over. The other man steps back and watches with precarious eyes.

"Stop trying to swindle people." I say sternly. He grunts in anger and pushes back, slamming me against the wall behind me. I release his arm to catch my balance, and he turns to face me, punching me in the arm as I block him from hitting my face. One more fast swing, and he's gone around my lower arm blocking and landed his fist into my lip. I fall to the side and catch myself, palms on the ground. I look forward and swing my feet into his legs and he drops subsided flat on the muddy dirt with a loud thud. I'm up and I kick him in the chin before he groans from dizziness and surrender.

I straighten up and pull on my clothes and hair, breath ragged, as I'm trying to contemplate what to do next.

"That wasn't very nice." I'm taunting him, and I probably shouldn't be. "Look, you really shouldn't be harassing all these good vendors in Vesuvia. I know you're a guard and you probably think you are entitled to act this way, but it should stop."

"Bitch! You've assaulted an officer! You will be hanged for this!"

"Maybe, but… I don't think very many people are going to believe that a fortuneteller beat up a guard. Besides, if I told Countess Nadia of this, you'd be the one in trouble."

"What-?"

"Yeah, Nadia and me go way back! She's my girl, and you, well… you're just a guard whose assaulted me and has been preying on these good people."

I can see his eyes spinning around in bewilderment, trying to strategize a plan. I shake my head and sigh.

"Look man, I respect what you do, protecting this city and all. So, let's make a deal: I won't tell my girl Nadia about this little scheme you've been doing here if you stop. Does that sound fair?"

I raise my hand to him, but he does not take it. He stands on his own with a gruff and dusts the soil from him before giving me a cold stare.

" _Whore._ Fine."

"Thank you! Oh, but just in case…" I blow some powder from my bag on him, and he staggers back.

"What the-?" He starts coughing and wafting the mist from his features. When the smoke is cleared, he blinks at me dementedly.

"Who are you?" He demands.

"Ah, just a no good fortuneteller. You remember you made a deal with someone though, right?"

He pauses. "…Yeah. I remember."

"Good! Just don't break your end and leave these people alone. Okay?"

"Right…"

He pulls down on his uniform before turning and leaving. When we can no longer hear his footsteps, the vendor, McKalister, rushes over to me.

"Thank you, Magician. How did you make him forget you so easily?"

"I just met him, and we have no connections. It's a simple spell for someone to forget the person, not their memories. I figured I might need it so I stewed it up in my bag back in the bar."

"That's wonderful! And you used it for me! I don't know how to thank you…"

I stand straight with one fist on my hip, and the other on his shoulder. "Oh, citizen, your gratitude is thanks enough."

…its corny, and I think I've heard it from a play or parody from somewhere, I just had to use it.

"Oh, but do you really know the Countess?"

"Ha, no way do I know someone important like that! But that was good, right? He totally believed me!"

We enter the Clod Tavern again. When its just McKalister and I, the group in the room starts clapping, and he goes back to join his comrades at their table and I go to the bar. The grin on the bartender's face ushers a warm feeling into my bones, priding me form my earlier actions.

"That's my magic girl! Here." She slides a plate to me with a vibrant sandwich on top and toasted chips on the side of it.

"The special. Our Moldy Sandwich."

"Ah."

"It tastes better than it sounds. No mold, either. Go on!"

My stomach is growling. I know I had a big breakfast, but devouring food comes naturally to me. My eyes nearly roll all the way into their sockets as I savor the peppery taste and juicy medley of vegetables between the toasted dough.

"Right? It's the best, glad you like it."

"You spoil me."

She smirks until she looks back at me, squinting her eyes towards my chin where the guard had punched me.

"Huh. Wish I could have seen the fight go down this time!"

"Oh yeah. That gave me a headache. I tap my index into the bruise, and it is definitely sore.

"Is Asra gonna be okay with you fighting like this?"

I don't answer yet. I can't. A blue glow surges to my fingers, and I press the coolness of it onto my face. It's only swollen, this is an easy heal. The bartender keeps her palms on the table as she watches in awe until the bruise is gone and the swelling has gone down. I wipe the blood spot from my lip as the magic fades away.

"He doesn't need to know. We barely go out of our neighborhood, let alone take trips to dark alleys and start fights."

"You don't usually start them, though." She nods her chin to me with approval. "You're one of the good ones, magic girl."

I'm not sure what she's implying, but I don't press the subject further; a lot of people don't understand magic or believe in it even when they see it. I can imagine they would find it menacing and scary in their ignorance.

For the most part, though, since Asra and I have been using our magic and fortune telling with good intentions, it hasn't spoiled our reputation yet. In fact, it built the shop we are working in today.

The sun is going down. Once I've depleted my plate of any food, I ship out the tavern and head back towards home.

Yes, home sweet home.

I don't mind lingering on the streets, but this place is dear to my heart. Asra and I built it up together, a safe haven after a brutal day. I try not to wander too far from it.

When I open the oak door, Asra is leaned over in one of the chairs playing with his sandal, and he looks up at me with an abundance of pleasure.

"You're home."

His smiling is warming, but I see his heavy bag packed on the lounge chair beside him.

After a few moments, I notice the sun;s light fade away outside. I draw the curtains shut as the day draws to an end.

**"** I'll miss you." Asra purses his lips ever so slightly as he looks at me from across the shop's counter.

Sometimes I wonder if he means what he says. He's going again, after all, without me.

It's the dead of a moonless night. The right time for beginning a journey, according to him.

"Here… take this. For you to play around with while I'm gone. My tarot deck." He slides the cards over to me. I blink at them and my furrow my brow to look at him with my hands on my hips.

_"_ You think I want your creepy deck?" I challenge. He can laugh at me all he wants. When those cards are nearby, my hair stands on end.

"Scared of them, still? You're really something." He looks at me with amusement, his grin never fading. "I'll hide the cards, if you wish. But first… humor me. Read my fortune. Just for fun. This isn't a test. I promise."

So it's a test, then. Despite my reservations, he pulls back the curtain that leads to the backroom.

"After you." He watches me carefully as I stroll passed him with confident strides and sit at the round table in the small space across from him.

"It's been a while since we've practiced." He says aloud.

"True." I tap my chin. "Is it because you're always gone? Or maybe its because I'm so awesome at this and I've perfected it?"

Often, the teasing satiates him, but this time, his smile fades just slightly.

"Have you now? You really are gifted. I shouldn't have expected any less. Someday you'll find a  _real_ teacher who could maybe truly perfect your skills."

"Oh come on, I didn't mean it like that." I roll my eyes at him, a notion he's all too familiar with.

"Well, I'm here now. Let's see how powerful you've become."

He's always going on about how "powerful" and "gifted" I am…

Asra's eyes shift around the room. "Oh?"

Something brushes along my ankle, smooth and cool.

His smile returns. "We're not alone."

This serpent is Faust, Asra's familiar. She's pleased to see me, I think. I'm not fond of snakes, but I've seen the gentle spirit of Faust long enough to appreciate her presence. I think she slithers by me unannounced to tease me in a way.

I watch as the pearly white scales flash from the lantern above our heads, as she wiggles around Asra's lean form and nuzzles onto his shoulder.

"If we're all here… let's begin." He rubs under the serpents chin as I shuffle the deck. His gaze follows the cards as they slip through my fingers.

I place three cards on the table before us, and I scan my palm over each one of them, until I flip one over a few moments later. The cascading gown and feathers of the owl-like beauty meets our eyes, and my mind stirs.

_"_ …The High Priestess."

Asra leans in close, expectantly. "And, what is she telling you? Is she speaking to you now?"

When the cards speak to me, it isn't in any human tongue. Nonetheless, when my mind is clear, the answer comes to me.

"You've forsaken her." I say warily.

"I have?" He raises his brow.

"Yes. You've pushed her away, and buried her voice. She calls out to you, but you won't listen. Master, if you don't listen to her… "

For a moment, I hope he doesn't think I'm referring to myself when it comes to him.

A sharp knocking startles all three of us. A customer?

**"** Did you forget to put out the lantern again?"

"Hey, the sun was still up when I got home!"

" Just as well. I can't stay any longer." His focus is on the back door, now, and I follow his movement as he rises out of his seat, picking up the Tarot cards as he does. He follows out into the front of the shop again and begins donning his scarf, hat and extra pouches for the trip. When he has fastened everything around him, he looks at me. I can't see his lips, but his eyes are sparkling and I decide to look away.

**"** Well then… take care of yourself."

He still has something to say, but he won't say it. I'm annoyed by this, but I won't tell him that. He will likely brush it off and leave anyway like he always does.

"Until we meet again."

I nod with a hoax smile.

"Yep. See you."

He parts the curtains soundlessly and slips out the back door. And just like that, he's gone again.

.

.

 

**Book II: The High Priestess**

.

.

Really, though; a customer? At this hour? An impatient one, by the sound of it.

I open the door.

The customer has a cloak on her face. "Forgive me for the hour, but…"

The figure steps inside and begins to unwind the shawl from their neck.

**"** …I will not suffer another sleepless night. Please. You must read the cards for me."

The elegant cloth slips away, revealing the visitor's face. At the sight of her, my heart leaps into my throat, as I recognize the elegant and slender woman before me.

**"** It has to be you." She says sternly.

The Countess!

Her dress is adorned with golden lace and white silk. Her long magenta locks stretched almost as long and lovely as her gown, and her scarlet gaze was intense enough to change the aura of the room immediately.

_"Uh,_ You've come to the wrong place!" I have never met the Countess in person, but she is certainly far more fair and substantial then I was expecting. And here she was, in our shop.

"Pardon?" She tries to clarify. I'm all fumbled. What if she is here because of that lie I told the guard from earlier? About knowing her and us being pals? No, she would have sent more to collect me and arrest me, not shown up herself.

"I-I- mean, right! You've come to the right place!"

**"** So I'm told." She says lowly. "Your reputation precedes you. Beggars and nobles alike… The people of this city whisper your name in wonder. Though in my dream you were… different. No matter. I come with a proposal."

_"_ P-proposal?"

**"** Not very talkative, are you? Nervous, perhaps? You needn't be. I require very little of you. Be my guest at the palace for a short while. You will be afforded every luxury, of course. It is as my dreams foretold. I ask only that you bring your skill… and the arcana."

I blink. _"_ I am at a loss, Countess."

She gives me a patient look. "The arcana. The cards. You haven't heard their true name? You read them well, but I wonder if you truly know them. Show me, magician. I wish to judge with my own eyes. These rumored talents of yours."

Just like that, a sweat breaks out along my brow. I had hoped she wouldn't ask. What now? Asra took the cards from me before he left!

I snort out a weak chuckle.

"Uh, I don't know where the deck is, right now."

**"** Must we do this? The deck is in your trouser pocket. Forgive me if I cut short your test of faith. But I have seen this before."

Sure enough, when I reach in my back pocket, the familiar smooth edges greet my fingertips. When did he-?

"Now, shall we begin?"

Without further ado, the Countess strides past me towards the back room. I am compelled to follow. The Countess seats herself across from me. Her gaze darts around the small space before falling on the cards on the table between us.

"Go on."

As I shuffle the deck, she folds her hands before her and closes her eyes.

From one of the three cards I flip over, the piercing thin eyes of the foxlike man in his robes greet us.

_"_ …The Magician."

"How very appropriate." She peers down at the card, studying its face. "And what does he hold for me?"

My mind is clear. Even though I was startled by her intimidating presence before, the answer comes to me as easily as ever, raising my credence.

"You have a plan."

"Go on…" She flicks her wrists at me, flaccidly, to hide her eagerness.

"One that's long in the making. Years upon years. Now, you seek to set it in motion."

"And? Should I move?"

Her eyes pierce me, flashing brilliantly in the lamplight.

"Yes. Act now. Everything has fallen into place."

"Say no more."

Abruptly, she stands, giving the card one last glance. I'm barely on my feet when she throws back the curtains, striding purposefully back into the shop proper.

"Your fortunes are simple. Much the same as others I've heard. And yet… you are the first to pique my interest."

"Oh, thanks?" I prefer to think my fortune telling is at least genuine.

By the time I've emerged, the Countess is at the doorway, winding the shawl around her face. There is a long pause as she turns to me instead of heading for the door.

"Ahem."

I nearly trip over my feet in my haste to open the door. The Countess merely looks amused.

**"** Until tomorrow, then. Pleasant dreams."

With that, she glides past me and out into the night. For a moment, I'm frozen, staring after her figure long after it has vanished into the mist. What could the Countess want with me, a mere apprentice?

I close the door behind me and walk back to the counter, lost in thought. Maybe I should have considered countering her offer. Do I even like the Countess and her beliefs for this city? Maybe I was desperate to help someone, to find my own journey…

I sigh, slightly drained by having had two readings at once, and so outlandishly at that. Not to mention how my day had gone earlier. All that talk of my "reputation"… Could it be that she mistook me for-

**"** Strange hours for a shop to keep."

Who said that? My gaze darts around the shop, chasing shadows in the dark.

**_"_ ** _Behind you."_

Sure enough, when I turn, I see a figure looming against the door. He has a plague mask with red eye holes and a beak concealing his features, and is wearing a dark militant like uniform, the dark coat just off his shoulders like a red cape on the inverse side.

"Now, sources say this is the witch's lair. So who might  _you_  be?"

My heart starts racing as the masked intruder unfolds his arms and advances.

The witch's lair he said… perhaps he's heard the rumors about me too, then. That can't have anything to do with the reason why he is here, though. My mind is racing at all the possibilities of what's to come, and I can't think of a proper thing to do.

"W-Who's asking?"

I manage to spit something out; it's enough to give them pause.

"I am. I'd rather not do it again."

I try to speak, but my throat is dry.

_If it's all the same, you're the one breaking into my shop making demands…_

My eyes dart to the door, assessing my chances. A jolt of panic runs through my body to my toes and fingertips as I try to dart passed him by the counter.

"Up up up. Not so fast."

The masked intruder steps in front of me quickly and catches my wrist in a firm grip, then pulling me backward.

"Wh-! No-!" I try to struggle, but he yanks me like a rag doll against him easily.

My back meets their solid chest. The mask's beak curves ominously over my head, and I can feel his hot breath on my cheek.

He ducks down to talk in my ear.

"Tell me where he is and I'll let you go."

I throw my head back, knocking the mask away.

"Ah-!"

His grip loosens and I fall slightly forward. I slide behind the counter and face him. He's across from me, pressing his leather-gloved fingertips on the table.

I swing for their head across the counter with my fist, impulsiveness sending me into fight mode, and he pulls his head back and dodges with a delighted chortle.

"Ah ha! You've got guts. En garde, then. Let's see what else you've got."

I prepare a magical attack; a spindling ball of light forming between my palms. It doesn't work, though; the light fades out into a puff of smoke, my high-rise emotions blocking my concentration.

He grins. "Oh, has he been teaching you his tricks? Unfortunately for you, I've seen them all befo-"

I launch a bottle at his head.

"Ack!"

Knocked from the impact, the mask clatters onto the floor. My racing heart stops when he lifts his gaze to mine, red blood oozing from a wound atop his head.

"You  _do_ have guts."

He begins to wipe the blood off of the side of his face. As he stands back up again, I'm for some reason intimidated by his tall size, comparing him to the guard form earlier. Seizing my chance, I make a break for the backroom, the intruder hot on my heels.

I barely cross the threshold before I am yanked back by the scruff of my garments, twisting me around towards him. This time, he does not try to grab me.

**"** You're a slippery one."

As his eye bore into mine, I take in his features for the first time. I knew this man once. Everyone did. Now, his face is on Wanted posters all over the city.

**"** Oh, you recognize me? Then you know the trouble you're in." He gives me a vile sneer, like he's pleased by my realization. Back then, they used to call him…

"Doctor Jules?"

His pale eyes widen at the label.

"'Haven't heard that name in a while."

_The murderer._

"Quickly now. Where is the witch?"

Once again, I've adjusted to the situation.

"You want me to rat out my master?"

"Your, 'Master' is it..?" He seems startled, looking away as if he's embarrassed by something. "Ahem. I won't pry into your personal affairs."

"I'll never talk!"

I'm proud of my response for just a split second, until his sneer is back, only he looks as if he's about to laugh at a friend's terrible joke.

"Oh, you'll  _never_  talk? How many times have I heard that before? Never say never, shop keep."

My heart is thumping violently, but I won't budge. Finally, the doctor tears his icy gaze away to survey the room.

**"** This is where you do your fortune telling, isn't it?"

The doctor drops himself into the reading chair, looming fearsomely over the table.

"Perhaps your cards can do the talking."

"…Huh?"

He sighs, impatiently. "Tell me my fortune."

"Y-you think I'm gonna give you a reading after you broke in?" I manage to say. I feel heat and buzzing in my ears in anticipation for his response.

"Tell me my fortune, and I'll leave you in peace."

I just stare at him blankly. Stuttering a few syllables, I manage to locate the deck on the table that resides between the doctor and I.

"Go on. Don't be shy." He nods his chin towards them, and a calm resolve cascades over his features. Less threatening.

"Why the hell should I trust you?"

He looks around, peering back into the larger room.

"You don't really have many options, here. You could try to fight me again, but I would rather not resort to violence."

He's right. His firm grip on my arm before was enough to make me process how easily he could curve that grip around my neck and end me. I'm good at fighting, but…

"…But, I give you my word. I won't harm you, and I'll leave."

"P-promise?" I'm sure I'm trying to look bold, twisting my brows in a furrow with my fists on either side of me.

"Trust me."

Hesitantly, I take my seat, cold eyes tracking my every move. I almost fumble the cards as I lace them through my sweaty fingers.

The doctor taps his fingers on the table and his eyes wander the room.

"Lovely décor. Reminds me of the good old days. You know, I used to love places like this."

_Small talk, really?_

I don't think I'm able to hide the bemusement on my face. A part of me wants to interrogate what he has just said.

As soon as the card is flipped, my mind starts racing. Nothing comes to me but the pounding of blood in my ears as we both scan image on the card: the horse's' skull with a long black mane, holding a scythe.

"…Death."

I manage to look at his face. The doctor is blinking heavily, as if flabbergasted by the card.

**"…** Death?  _Death?"_

He barks with uncontrollable laughter, sharp as ice.

"You've got to be joking."

I jolt as his hands strike the table, and he rises to his feet. I follow the notion and stand up, alert for his next move.

"Death cast her gaze on this wretch and turned away. She has no interest in an abomination like me."

He almost sounds neglected, sad.

Overcome with confusion, I follow at the doctor's heels as he heads back to the front door.

"You've been hospitable, so I'll let you in on a secret. Your witch friend will be back for you. He's taught you his tricks. You may even say that he cares for you."

Maybe he  _has_  heard the rumors. I try to focus on some questions I have for this intruder, but I also just want him to leave after his abrupt appearance.

"But, when he returns…" The man lifts his mask from the floor, staring into its glassy red eyes.

"…Seek me out. For your own sake. That creature is far more dangerous than you know."

_Dangerous? Says the brute that broke into my shop!_

I try to form the words aloud, but I'm still too startled.

**"** Well then. The hour is late."

After giving me a long, hard look, causing my own gaze to stir to the left, the doctor fixes his mask in place.

**"** Don't let him fool you, shop keep."

The doctor slams the door behind him as he disappears into the early morning fog. The last words he said echo into my thoughts. I am finally able to catch my breath. He didn't want to harm me, but…

It had been a thrilling encounter, to say the least. First the Countess, then Doctor Jules shows up? A murderer and the wife of a tyrant were in the shop, and I'm still alive. Now that I'm collected, I want him to come back and answer my questions. Then again, I have to go to see the Countess in her palace as well. Those two have dire history… maybe all of this wasn't a coincidence, to happen in a single night.

I look around the empty shop. My eyes are drawn to the arcana cards in the back room. I can hear faint humming from many voices before I shake off feeling of adrenaline after my meeting with the doctor.

I ensure I have locked and put security charms on the doors before I prepare to rest.


	2. BOOK V and more: Pat Him Down/Who Am I to You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mixture of routes: Ch2-5 with paid decisions and mixed choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It didn't feel right to leave out some of the original story and only skip to the raunchy parts. They're present throughout, with trickling inserted details of my own. I'm not to the parts I want to be yet, but I wrote and edited through this so I decided to post it. 
> 
> Most of this is form the original ch1-5, not the update. I did still skip the chasing the rabbit or deer part, though, even though I liked it originally. What do you guys think about the 1-5 update? I like that it was faster and more explicit, but I miss some of the details from before. 
> 
> Anyway, Thank you for reading in advance!

**BOOK 0: THE FOOL**

**Pride and Injustice**

_Asra sweeps violently through the tent as he returns from the palace. I have a customer, and both of our eyes turn to him as he quickly ignores us and heads to the back._

_“Uh… anyway… the judgment card is in reverse, so the conflict from you is coming from the insides…”_

_Throughout the reading, my mind goes to Asra. After the customer leaves, I walk over to Asra. He’s hunched over, making some basic crystal bottle potion to add to our tiny wooden shelf of displayed spells and powdery magical formulas._

_“You’re upset.” I point out._

_“Really? Did the cards tell you that?”_

_“Oho, we’re being snarky with me, now? I guess you don’t want your fire lesson today, Asra-“_

_“Don’t threaten me, okay? I’m not in the mood.” He turns back to melding the ingredients in a rough notion. I frown as he finishes up as a loud puff of magic releases from the bottle before he seals it with a cork and slams it on the shelf without standing from his stool._

_“I’m sorry, Asra… what’s wrong?”_

_He tries to keep his gaze down between his spread legs, sweat form the humidity of the tent pinned to his brow._

_“Jules and I are fighting. We may not recover from this one.”_

_“Say what now? You and who?”_

_“Ilya.” He clarifies. “The Count keeps calling him that. It’s his known pet name now.”_

_“Oh! Wait, what?”_

_“Can you stop saying that?”_

_“I’m just—what?”_

_He gives me a cross grimace before sulking his head again._

_“I’m sorry- I’m sorry! It’s just, yesterday, you two were fine! I mean you looked fine-“_

_“It doesn’t matter how we looked yesterday. Ilya, he… I can’t believe he-!”_

_His fist resting on his upper legs tighten, and he’s shaking. I quickly reach around him and give him an embrace from behind._

_“Asra, I’m so sorry. I really am.”_

_He makes a muffled noise from his nose, and I wonder if he’s crying. We sit there for a long quiet moment. I look around the tent for a solution._

_“…You better hope you didn’t mess up that potion in your fury. Last thing I need is to give a customer something that makes them go bald, or grow an extra penis, or something.”_

_“An extra p-?” He sniffles and rubs his face with his sleeve, then he pauses. I catch eyes with his shimmering violet eyes and he starts to laugh._

_“Well yeah. And no offense, Asra, but this whole fight thing is ruining the awesome plans I had for us today.”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“I was going to teach you some really cool new magic! It’s wonderful, Asra. Perfect for self-defense and all that.” I step over him and stand in front of him with my hand out. “Can I show you, pretty please? You’re gonna love it!”_

_He hesitates, then wipes his cheeks once more before smiling wryly._

_“I wouldn’t want to miss out on any of your magic. Okay, lead the way.” He takes my hand and I excitedly draw him out of the tent._

_“Oh! Where’s your silly string?”_

_“You mean Faust?”_

_“You know what I mean when I say that! Where is she?”_

_“She’s napping in the tent. Do we need her?”_

_“No, I guess not.” I wave my hand over the lapis tent, and a soft, translucent bubble forms around its perimeter on order to protect it._

_“Come on, let’s go!”_

_I pull Asra behind me as I escort him through the crowded and voluminous town square and into the northeastern territory towards the border of the forests. When things hum to a near quiet, until all that is around us are chirping birds, shrubs and thick trees._

_I gasp. “We’re not alone.”_

_“Huh?” Asra looks around warily, and we both settle on a tall dark figure bustling from a path of trees to the right of us._

_“Muriel?” Asra is sincerely confused. “I-I thought you had work today.”_

_Muriel pours out in front of us, his long hair is obscuring some of his face, and a warm green cape wrapped around his shoulder and torso. Innana comes out yipping excitedly and hopping around Muriel’s feet. He can barely step forward to avoid her as she dances around him, eyeing the bag in Muriel’s grip._

_“I, uh, no. That was a lie. Sorry. She made me do it.” He nods his chin towards me._

_I gasp again, this time dramatically as I pat my fingers to my chest._

_“Muriel! You liked this idea as much as I did!”_

_“W-what’s going on?” Asra looks between the two of us._

_“We’re having a picnic!”_

_“Why would we do that?”_

_“Because it's a beautiful warm day, because I’m sure you want to get away from the bustling city business as much as the rest of us, and…”_

_I wave my hands towards Muriel, who looks nervous as he unwraps the satchel. A lovely blue drizzled cake with fruit on the top lies inside._

_“It’s yah birthday! YAY! Happy Birthday, Asra!”_

_Asra blinks furiously in surprise. “How did you know it was my..?”_

_“Well, Nadia hinted to me one time, and of course Muriel knows when it is! You didn’t think we wouldn’t celebrate your birthday, did you?”_

_“I… I don’t know what to say.”_

_“Say whatever you want, it’s your birthday you son of a gun!”_

_“You guys… thank you.”_

_I pull a blanket from my bag and unroll it onto the soft green grass below us. Muriel helps me place the cake and small chips in a bowl out for us while I prepare the water and wine from their bottles. All three of us sit with Innana perched on Muriel’s lap on the blanket as we settle in._

_“What flavor is the cake?”_

_“Oh! The baker made it for you; its Belladonna!”_

_Asra’s mouth drop, and I nearly spit out the wine from my lips._

_“I’m sorry, I’m messing with you again. It’s just golden and blue berries! The look on your face…”_

_“Trying to poison me, Ezi?” He teases as he takes a blue berry and puts it in his mouth._

_“If I wanted to kill somebody, it would be to kick their ass, not with something sneaky like that!”_

_“L-let’s not talk about killing, please.” Muriel insists._

_“And you.” I turn my attention towards him. “What have you been up to lately, hmm? We hardly see you anymore, tough guy!” I pat him on the back roughly. He’s startled at first, but he smiles at the jab._

_“I’ve had work in the city.” He mumbles._

_“I wish you’d hangout with us more. I love reading books, and tea. Asra and I both do! You simply must come over more and do it with us, Muriel.”_

_“I-no. It’s too loud where you guys are staying.”_

_“I understand, you don't like the hustle and bustle. You like these woods so much you should just live here!”_

_“That’s not a bad idea, Muriel.” Asra adds. “I could help you set something up, if you’re interested.”_

_Muriel smiles again, but it quickly fades and he shakes his head._

_“No. Maybe when I retire, I will. I can’t now.”_

_“Why not?” I pry. He simply shakes his head again._

_Asra frowns, reading Muriel’s face. “Uh- Ezi, you know I’m a little disappointed you don’t actually have new magic to show me.”_

_“Oh, I can definitely show you. It doesn’t require potions this time, just some simple elemental gathering from the aura around you, and BOMB-“ Muriel and Innana both sit up erect at the noise I’ve made “-You have a magical shield.”_

_“Now, that does sound interesting.”_

_We eat and chat quietly and laugh a little more. After about an hour of talking, Muriel gets up and plays fetch with the pup, and Asra sips his wine as he lays across the blanket on his side, the palm on his chin holding his head up. I take another bite from the small cake before I plop onto my back, exhausted and buzzed._

_“We were fighting about my birthday.” Asra says quietly. “He completely forgot about it.”_

_“Oh, screw Ilya!” I snap energetically. “You’re always complaining about how forgetful he is or how he argues with you about the most petty things. I’m sure the sex is great but you got to get out of this; find another hot guy to screw.”_

_Muriel trips over a piece of rotting wood nearly falls on his face. Our attention draws to him only for a moment before we continue._

_“Sorry, that was blunt of me.”_

_“No, it’s okay. I know you’re only trying to cheer me up.” He smiles, the palm on his chin rolls up to his cheek and contorts his lips upwards as he looks at me._

_“You’re a great guy, Asra. Either Ilya will realize that or he won’t. Anyway, its your birthday. Is there anything you’d like to do?”_

_“Oh, lots of things.” He says it mysteriously, and so I squint my eyes at him._

_“Uh… Oh! I almost forgot to mention, Nadia wanted to have dinner with you tonight and… oh. With Ilya. But, I guess Ilya won’t go now, unless you want him to, that is.”_

_“Nadia knows too?” He sighs. “Well, I guess I should be happy all my friends are being so nice to me on my birthday.”_

_“We’re not being nice we’re doing it because we love you.”_

_He’s still looking at me, and I’m compelled to look away._

_“I don’t think I want to spend my evening with him.” He says spitefully. “And I know Muriel doesn’t like visiting the palace.”_

_“Muriel doesn’t like visiting anywhere.”_

_“True.” There’s silence, and I’m following the pattern on the blanket with my index finger._

_“Will you go with me tonight?”_

_“M-me? I’ve never had dinner with the Countess before.”_

_“I’d love it if you came. I’m sure Nadia would love to meet you finally, too.”_

_“Oh, talking about me without my knowledge, eh?” I sigh as if I’m annoyed, but the idea sounds wonderful._

_“I suppose I could. Since I’m just being nice to you on your birthday and all.”_

_He laughs at the comeback. “Actually, you’ve been there for me for a lot of things lately. You don’t need to worry so much about me.”_

_“Stop being a martyr and just enjoy your birthday.”_

_“I am enjoying it. Definitely.”_

_“Before we go, would you like me to teach you the self defense?”_

_“Of course.”_

_Muriel makes a gruff noise and sits against a tree. Innana whines and leaps over to him, her yellow sharp eyes glaring carefully at him._

_“Muriel, what happened?” Asra and I stand quickly and rush over to him. He’s gripping his leg, and we can see a spot of dark red on his cape._

_“You’re injured? From when you fell?”_

_“Uh, yeah.” He groans a bit, tightening his fingers around the blood on his hairy ankle._

_“Here, let me see.” I ask quietly. He jerks his leg closer to him._

_“No! It’s fine.”_

_“I can help. Please.” I nod towards the blood. His lips tighten in a straight line before he slowly releases his hands and stretches his leg out to us._

_The cut is deep, but it looks like a reopened wound, not fresh at all, with dry curdled blood around the edges._

_I say a magic word and my hands glow green, and the soothing light melts into his leg. Asra and Muriel watch in awe as the skin knits back together like glue, and then the wound is gone._

_“That was, great.” Asra finds the words he needs. “You must teach me that next!”_

_Muriel brings his legs up and rubs against where the wound once was._

_“You didn’t have to do that.”_

_“You’re both martyrs.” I say as I stand up, stretching. “Whoo. Always takes the wind out of me.”_

_“Thank you.” Muriel’s face is red as he and Asra stand up._

_“We should head back so Nadia doesn’t scowl at you if you’re late for your dinner.”_

_“Good point.” Asra and Muriel help clean up the picnic and we head back into the city. As soon as we enter the city lines again, a group of guards holts us in our tracks. There’s at least eight or ten of them, like they’re on a serious man hunt together, and they all stop in front of us._

_“You must be the magician we’re looking for.” The one in command steps towards us, smugly, and we take a step back. “Oh, good, and the Scourge is here with you too.”_

_I follow the guards eyes and glance back at Muriel, who is glaring ominously towards the guards._

_“What is this? What do you want with me?” Asra demands._

_“No you.” He points to me. “Her.”_

_Asra doesn’t hesitate. He steps between me and the guards to my surprise, and raises his arm, like he’s defending me._

_“What do you want with her?”_

_“Why, she’s under arrest, of course.”_

_We all make some kind of questioning sound, but I speak first._

_“What the hell for?”_

_“You are under arrest for assaulting an officer of the law.”_

_“I never attacked anybody.”_

_“Not according to Count Lucio, you didn’t.”_

_“If Lucio said she attacked somebody, that’s not true-“_

_“Wait, Asra.” I stand beside him. “It is true.”_

_“What?”_

_“Sorry.” I shrug. “I sort of got in trouble again. You know me. To be fair, though, I didn’t strike first, it was self-defense.”_

_“Either way, you’re under arrest.” The guard insists, and reaches for me. Asra tries to stand his ground, but I shake my head towards him, and he reluctantly lets the guard grab my upper arm. He tugs me roughly and two other guards escort me away with my hands behind my back._

_“The penalty for the assault will be tried at the coliseum.”_

_“Are you out of your mind?” Asra bellows._

_“It will be death by combat, unless she survives, that is.” Some of the other guards chuckles at the announcement._

_“I’m speaking with the Countess Nadia about this!” Asra warns._

_“Go ‘head. Lucio is the one in charge of the sentencing.” The guard looks to Muriel. “Come on, Scourge, you have a job to do for tonight.”_

_“Muriel? You can’t-“_

_Muriel shakes his head. “I…won’t. I won’t harm her, I promise.”_

_Asra nods with relief as we go. He shouts something else to us, but I can’t hear him as I’m being swept away to the coliseum prison._

 

.

.

.

.

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**BOOK II: THE HIGH PREISTESS**

I wake up on the futon in the shop instead of upstairs.

After last night’s intrusion… I turn the first lock, and then the second and third. Almost satisfied, I press my right hand to the door and whisper a cross-me-not spell. The wood lights up beneath my palm, in the pattern of Asra’s intricate designs. White whorls glow deep within the door, slowly fading into the grain. The shop will be well. All will be well. I pull my shawl tighter, and step out into the foggy street.

…Some one is watching me. Someone in the street up ahead. Shrouded in a pall of weatherbeaten furs, it’s hard to make out a face… But they are definitely watching me. No… waiting for me to come out? They stand between me and the path I have to take.

My throat is dry as I swallow down the rush of suspicion.

“Excuse me. Can you move?”

Stormy green eyes meet mine. He closes his eyes and slides against a wall. I walk past and hope the giant doesn’t try anything funny.

“You are in grave danger.”

I freeze but don’t turn around.

“What?”

“He will return, uninvited. He will offer you a gift, when you need it most… Turn it away. Or you will fall into his hand… Just like the rest of us.”

I blink, trying to process what I just heard. When I turn away, there is nothing behind me.

….What am I doing? I have to hurry to the palace!

 

Daylight seeps through the gaps between the worn planks, shimmering on the water that flows below. It’s early yet, and the marketplace is already wide awake. All around me are the sounds of bartering, laughter, vendors hawking their wares. A voice I know well calls out to me over the sea of noise.

 

 **“** Have you eaten? I’ve got that loaf you like in the oven. Won’t be long now. Come, sit down, talk for a while!”

 

The Baker gestures towards his shop. I sniff the air on impulse and my stomach twists in hunger. Then again, I should probably be careful of the time…

 

The baker’s sun-speckled face lights up with a broad smile. He leads me into the booth, and a warm, spicy scent surrounds me. As I settle against the back wall, he offers me a steaming tin cup and places his hands on his hips.

 

 **“** And where is Asra? Sleeping in?”

 

I sip my drink, a hot, minty brew.

 

 **“** He’s on a journey. Again.” I say it with slight malice.

 

 **“** Ahh, and where’s he off to this time?”

 

I shrug, my gaze wandering off into some conversation I had with Asra once. The baker gives me an odd look.

**“** He didn’t tell you? How suspicious! You’re telling me that rascal is keeping secrets from his prized pupil?”

 

The words are in jest, but they prod at something within me that compels me to answer.

 

“He… never tells me where he’s going specifically. And, he never lets me go with him. I thought it was because he had heard about the rumors before, you know?” I tap my cup and sip some more of it. “Now, I think its just because he could be tired of his ‘prized pupil.”

 

Perhaps I shouldn’t have said so much to a simple baker. But, its lonely at the shop, and my bottled feelings are spilling out like a sweet smelling potion over the counter top in our lovely, cozy shop. Gossip spreads quickly, but I think passed the worst of them when it comes to my reputation.

 

“I am sorry you feel that way, my dear.” The Baker sounds sincere. “But you know, I don’t think you realize how he does truly care for you.”

That’s the second time in a matter of day I’ve hear that. I’m flushed with a tinge of frustration, not at the Baker, or Julian the murderer for mentioning it, but at Asra for not acknowledging what others are saying. I shouldn’t be, though. When I look at Asra with such admiration, I have learned not to expect the same thing from him within the past three years.

 

“Ah, the bread’s ready! Careful, it’s hot.”

“Thank you, sir.” I leave the tin cup and hold the wrapped bread around my fingers.

“Pumpkin?”

“Of course!”

I reach for the coin in my bag, but the baker raises his arm.

“On his way out last night, Asra gave me some coins. For you.”

Was it out of sympathy, I wonder? Still, I smile at the news.

“Thank you.”

“Thank Asra when he returns to you.”

I nod and move on. Up ahead, the crowd is thickening with the morning rush of peasant workers. I weave around, focused on finding a clear path… …until I hear a sharp cry from above me.

A raven, perched overhead, meets my gaze. At once, it has my full attention. Its fathomless eyes look beyond me, over my shoulder.

_These ravens… they could just be part of his illusion!_

I cast a subtle glance backward… …and my heart stutters in shock. The Doctor is moving casually through the throng. He wears no mask. Though I’m close enough to be sure of his identity, the crowd between us is dense. He has yet to spot me.

Without a second thought, I turn and duck into the crowd. It was him. It definitely was. And unmasked, in broad daylight? A terrifying thought occurs to me. If he is here, now… Has he been nearby, all along? Is he… following me? The thought of the Doctor spying from the shadows while I was napping makes my throat go dry. I chance a backwards glance, to see if I’ve been spotted.

Wait… shouldn’t I want to confront him? I want to know why he came to the shop. Surely he would not do any harm in public, but my mind is still over processing exactly what to do.

Just then, the raven gives another call, drawing the Doctor’s eye toward me. I turn back around at once, heart pounding. The crowd may as well be invisible. I feel his gaze boring into the back of my skull. But I know this marketplace. I know where to turn, and where to hide. I leave the beaten path, weaving through the booths like a wild phantom. I don’t dare to look back.

Up ahead is a narrow stairwell, where the masses and their animals are tightly packed. As I climb the well-worn steps, something catches my eye. A fortune teller’s booth, tucked away in a shady corner. Silver moons adorn the tapestries draped over the entrance, shrouding it in secrecy. The sight teases a smile out of me. How nostalgic… When we met, Asra was operating out of a place just like it.

As I’m lost in my musings, a patron emerges from the booth, caught up in conversation. I give a wide berth and keep my head down.

 **“** Before I forget, what are my lucky numbers today? **Three, six, seven, nine.** Got it. Three, six, seven, nine. Three, six, seven, ni-“

I don’t notice them backing into me until we crash into each other.

The impact makes me stumble, teetering on the edge of a step. It also upsets the basket balanced on the stranger’s hip… …which sends a dozen pomegranates rolling down the stairs.

 **“** Oh, perfect! As if I wasn’t already late…”

She has brilliant thick curls of ginger hair wrapped in a messy bun on her head. Her shimmering sky blue eyes are swirling down on the ground, and she’s wearing a casual white long sleeve as she kneels down to pick up her belongings.

I drop into a crouch beside the stranger to help. These are luxurious fruits. It’s unusual to buy them in bulk. I spot one as it’s about to be stomped under a stray hoof, and swipe it at the last second. When I hand it back to the stranger, their eyes sparkle with delight.

 **“** Ooh, thank you! How sweet of you to help. And after I bumped into you in the first place.”

Together, we hunt the rest of them down, maneuvering through the steadily increasing foot traffic. Though we’re nearly trampled trying, we manage to recover every last one.

 **“** Well, I can’t thank you enough!”

They rise to their feet, and offer me a hand. Their grip is strong. The skin of their small palm is rough against mine, calloused.

 **“** Probably shouldn’t do this, but…”

Rubbing it off on a sleeve, they offer me a fruit from the basket. When I accept it, the stranger gives me a smile that warms my chest.

 **“** Take care, all right?” With a cheeky wink, they depart, slipping into the crowd.

I hurry onward to the glorious palace.

The sun is peeking over the horizon as it makes its descent, and I’ve reached the palace gates.

“Halt, who goes there?”

Two guards stand at the gate.

“I’m here to see Nadia. I was asked by her to come here tonight.”

“The countess?” Both guards exchange looks. “What’s the code?”

“Code? I don’t know the code.”

One of the guards quickly draws his sword out. I draw back quickly with my arms up.

“Whoa-whoa-whoa-! I really don’t want to have to fight you guys-“

“Three-six-seven-nine!” The red head form earlier races up from the road behind me. “What on earth is going here?”

“An intruder, miss.” The other guard explained.

“’Scuse me, I was invited.”

“Yeah, she was invited!” The girl comes to my side. “I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you before! I’m Portia, a servant in the palace. You’re the magician, right? The Countess told me about you- please-“ She escorts me passed the moody guards and we haul into the castle, talking casually all along the way as I’m about to meet the Countess for dinner.

.

.

.

.

I learned my acquaintance in the marketplace, Portia, is the most trusted servant of the noble and elegant Nadia~

The compelling and frightful picture on the wall of the lord-like goat bearing his Last Supper. The Beautiful red.

The mission given as an investigator and a Magician. Find the murderer. Julian Dovorak, the one who killed Nadia’s husband the Count in his own bed the night of the last Masquerade.

Help the endearing and powerful Countess, as she drinks her flowery wines and plans a new masquerade party in the hopes that justice will be served, and the mysterious Doctor Dovorak be hanged.

 

There’s a lot to think about after I have dinner with the Countess. In her lovely and golden dining hall. Portia escorts me with more exuberance and stories about the castle as she takes me to my room that I’ll be staying at while in assistance to Countess Nadia.

 

The two fluffy dogs sitting atop the stairs, leading to the dark hallway. Something compels me to try to pet one.

 

“…I wouldn’t do that!”

 

The dogs rear back form me.

“Sorry. I know they’re gorgeous and all. But they’re also a little unpredictable. I’d rather you keep that hand. Now go on, you two! Protect your stairs.”

 

The hounds trot dutifully back to their spot. They nearly blend into the marble.

 

“Oh! That reminds me, they haven’t had their chamomile cakes. They’re gonna be up all night! Keep her company, you two. No growling, no snapping, no biting! They’ve gotten a lot better, it’s just tough to train them out of their old ways. Count Lucio liked to keep them vicious. Be right back!”

 

Portia swoops through a sliding panel in the wall. I’m alone in the hallway with the dogs. I feel the bigger one sniff my side insistently. When I look down it simply pulls back and stares. Then the smaller one is sniffing my other side, huffing samples of my scent. I whirl to catch it… And it sits back on its haunches, watching me innocently. Cheeky.

 

As I look into its one sanguine eye, an unsettling sensation ripples through my body like a wave of fever.

 

_“Ooooooh hello hello hello, what do we have here… A guest?”_

 

I startle back, gaze darting up and down the corridor. Who said that? It sounded like it was coming from… up there. The top of the stairs. I can only see so far into the hollow gloom. But there’s no one there.

 

I nearly jump when I feel yanking it my garments. The dogs. Their teeth are buried in my clothes, unrelenting as they drag me onto the stairs. I trip up the first few steps and their tails start wagging. I hear the voice again, a hiss of delight.

 

**“** _Yessss my beauties… bring that morsel to papa.”_

 

 **“** Hey!”

 

I wrench myself free. Groaning in frustration, the dogs scamper to the top of the stairs… …And wait. Carefully. I take the next step, towards the oppressive gloom.

 

**“** _Gooooood. Just a little closer… best behavior, you two. Let’s show off our famous hospitality.”_

 

Snickering bounces off the walls, and I feel the sweltering heat at my back, urging me higher.

 

My mind feels foggy, so I wander deep into the cold and dark in front of me. I part of me wants to turn and run, but another part of me knows I have to see this through.

 

Its like a dream at first. My hand is hovering over the knob to a dusty old door at the end of the hall, and I don’t recall how I got there. I step back.

 

_“Hmmm, you see like just a peasant who stumbled unto my lovely luxurious home. How basic. You’re not too unfortunate looking, though.”_

The voice is taunting as it echoes across my mind. The white mist surrounding me is like a toxin, hypnotizing me.

 _“But, what’s that smell?”_ The voice is now lapping at my ear.

_“Asraaaa. Could you be the one he gave it to, I wonder?”_

I shake my head, focusing on my own strength. I open the door and enter the room.

The magic in my palm shrinks to a fluttering glow when I step through the doorway into the gloom. Coming from the hall, it's strikingly warm inside. The thick air has a strong, peppery taste. The weak glow of my magic renders the furniture formless, filigreed silhouettes lining the walls. A heavily canopied bed stretches midway across the room. I pass an extravagant suit of armor and a marble writing desk with a white peacock feather pen… …all blanketed in ash.

 

The pale, powdery dust is laid over every corner of the room, all the way up the walls. In the dark, it looks like snow. There is a portrait on the wall, twice my height. I approach it with single-minded focus, each footfall stirring the blanket of dust.

 

My dim light stretches up the canvas on the wall, and I take in the image with straining eyes. Though I may be struggling to see, I have no doubt of the painting's subject. Count Lucio. He looks younger than I expected, or the portrait is old. Or perhaps the artist was catering to his vanity. The red of his coat is the cardinal hue I remember from the painting in the dining room. The golden arm, a marvel of alchemical art. The fur hanging from his haughty shoulders looks impossibly fine, and… …I catch myself reaching out to feel it as a hoarse whisper breathes fog into my ear.

 

**“** _Go on. Touch it.”_

 

I feel nothing but ash, sifting down the canvas as my fingers make contact. There is a snickering inside my head, as a haze settles over my mind.

 

**“** _Nothing like the real thing… seeing, unable to feel. Such sweet torture…”_

 

Warmth like an ember radiates at the back of my neck. The magic in my palm reacts, its glow stretching past my fingers and down my wrist. The hair on my forearm is standing on end. Suddenly, I'm certain I'm not dreaming.

 

My first instinct is to get away from the portrait, scampering backward until my heel catches on high-pile carpet.

 

Something soft meets the back of my knees, and I fall through folds of dusty velvet into the massive bed. Great plumes of ash billow around me when my back hits the bedcovers. I'm blinded, coughing. This is Count Lucio's bed… I'm lying right where he was murdered. Incinerated. Then this fine ash in my eyes, in my nose and mouth and all over me… is what's left of him. I stare up into the fathomless shadows of his canopy and clap a hand over my mouth, smothering a scream.

Violently, I wrestle myself from the bed, swiping the layer of ash from my face. I can taste it. I have to get out of here.

 

“Aw, GROSS!”

 

 **“** _Aww, going so soon? You're no fun.”_ That voice, velvety and yearning for attention.

 

Now it echoes from every corner of the room, and from within my mind, a strange throaty laugh. Blinded by darkness and halfway collapsed on the floor, I call out into the roiling gloom.

 

“Who are you and what do you want?”

 

There’s no response for a moment, and I wonder if I’ve been talking to dark sweet nothings in my own imagination.

 

“What do I want? Nothing at all…”

 

A sweetly suffering groan. I freeze, and I have the sensation of something reaching for my back. Then it pulls away. The temperature drops a little, and my breath returns to me before I'd noticed it was gone. I dare not to look, but I sense movement behind me towards the portrait.

 

**“** _Chains of gold, but no neck… beautiful, beautiful furs, but no back… No perfect face to smother with kisses… so I want nothing.”_

Then, it says the next part with a dark undertone that wakes me to common sense.

_“Not yet, anyway.”_

 

I scramble to my feet and make a break for the door. My fear delights the voice, a reedy laugh that grows louder and louder. The air sucks and pulls at my limbs, drawing me back like a vicious current until I reach the door.

 

I stumble out of the dark doorway only to slam into the opposite wall. The cold stone rattles me from my daze. I dart ahead, sweeping myself back into the hallway towards the light.

 

“As for what I am…”

 

No harm will come to me if I look at it. Somehow, I know this, so I look back towards the room. In that moment I see claws, horns and hooves like onyx. The white face of a goat, with red eyes fixed gleefully on me. As soon as I've seen it, it's gone.

 

I can’t imagine what I’ve seen is a coincidence either. Lucio. It must have been him, yet…

 

I bump right into Portia when I scamper back down the stairs into the regular hallway, and she nearly drops the cakes for the dogs.

“Oh, my goodness, are you alright?” One look at my wide eyes and paled face and she drops the food and hurries me to my room.

 

The purple bedroom is larger than the entire front of the shop, and my eyes draw to the king bed awaiting me. Yet, I’m not worthy to lay on it just yet. I feel dirty.

 

I had… Lucio’s ash on me.

 

I quickly throw my top off over my head as I’m grumbling at the feeling of disgust that crawls through my skin.

 

“Oh, okay.” Her voice is exuberant as usual, but Portia averts her gaze and she quickly turn around, her snow white face flushed in red.

 

“Ahh, I’m sorry. Sorry.” I scramble to the bed and cover myself with the sheets, my pants and top off. “I had to, I slipped in something that smells awful earlier and I’ve been dying to get the smell off.”

 

 “Oh! I’m sorry, would you like a bath, then?”

 

 “I’ll be okay for now. Thank you, Portia.”

 

 “You’re welcome! Oh!”

 

I look up at her, still trying to keep the soft fabric over my exposed form.

 

“Uh, look, I just want to say… It’s been a while since the Countess has trusted anyone to stay here. We’re happy to have you here and helping the Countess. You seem like the great hope she’s been searching for sometime now. So, thank you.”

 

“I haven’t done much, yet. Thank me when I can help the Countess and solve the mystery.”

 

“Right, okay.” A shadow comes across her features. She was shocked at dinner when the case was mentioned too and she dropped the glass.

  _“When we find him, the doctor will be put to death for his crimes against this kingdom.”_  

Nadia’s words echo in my mind as Portia leaves me. Too much has happened again while Asra has been gone. My mind lingers on the details of the shop, whether I’m sleeping on the couch downstairs or comfortable in my own sheets.

 Julian scared me at the shop, but… Can I really bring him to his death? Lucio wasn’t exactly a great leader, and I could easily comprehend why someone would want to kill him…

 My thoughts are on Julian as I find a way to sleep, and I drift off into a far off dream…

Or perhaps, it's a memory?

  _“A storm is coming…”_

 The widowed Countess, the mysterious wanted doctor, and the magician on wandering adventures walks into a bar…

 I chuckle under the covers, then find my rest.

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**BOOK III: THE EMPRESS**

I haven't been able to be as bold as I'd like to when it comes to the Countess. I've been going through the motions, and now my mind is stirring on what to do. If she wasn't the Countess of Vesuvia, I probably would have said no. Chasing a wanted man sounds exciting, but where will I even begin?

I'm brought into some dream as I'm resting in the palace.

I'm walking down the black stone path, whipped by wind and rust-colored sand. The thick, dark clouds hanging overhead are heavier than before. Before… I'm dreaming again. Then… where is Asra? The unforgiving wind burns my eyes as I search the desolate landscape. Up there, ahead of me. Too far ahead to reach, I see my teacher and the lumbering beast. Calling out is useless. I have no voice. But they are standing still, side by side. And as I look harder… I see that they have stopped at a fork in the road. One way goes east, the other west. Asra dismounts the creature, placing a hand on its hide. A lingering look, and it turns down the path to the east, disappearing into the tempestuous sea of sand. Asra turns to the path on the west, and I know at once he is going the wrong way.

"Not that way! Not again!"

His head turns. Even from the uncrossable distance, I feel our eyes meet. With all my will, I drive myself forward and reach out, close enough to grasp hold of his hand. When our hands touch, his eyes wide with wonder….

Before everything dissolves and falls away. I'm standing on familiar floor, back in the shop.

I'm sweeping up a mess of powdered bat milk when Asra wanders in with a pleasant grin.

"Hey, Wait til you see what the woods had to offer today."

Mushrooms, fruit, and roots tumble out of his bag onto the countertop. He leans on his elbows, hands under his chin, watching me with delight.

"Wow! So much… this is more than we need."

"I thought it'd be better to have plenty. I didn't want to leave you here with nothing but pumpkin bread."

With my hands occupied, Asra slips a goldberry in my mouth and I chew slowly, tasting nothing. It's the fact his fingers are so close to my mouth that makes me feel something, then my thoughts turn darkly.

Leave me… that's right. This was the moment right before he packed his bags to go…again. I wanted to tell him then. Now, I can't remember why I didn't…. I can't hold it in.

"I want to come with you."

…Asra blinks, drops his gaze and sighs. Gentle hands come to either side of my face s he looks deep into my eyes, and I stare back into his earnestly.

"I know. I wish I could take you, it's just… it's too risky."

Wherever he goes its too far, too fast or too risky for me… but not for him.

"I'll risk it."

I turn my face so my lips meet his palm, so he's close again. He goes still with surprise. Maybe I've gone too far, but…

"I'll risk it."

His eyes cast down, half lidded in amusement.

"You will? Why? You want to join me in the den of the baby-eating Blood Mountain beast? Slog through the crawling maze of the Torturia, only to end up in the quicksand pit in the Bog of Resistance?"

He doesn't get it still… he blinks when I shake away his touch.

"I want to be with you. If you're going to Blood Mountain, that's where I want to be."

"Ah…" His olive cheeks are flushed and his eyes are wide.

"I want to go on adventures with you."

"You want to put yourself in danger… to be with me? That's…" Asra worries his lip in thought. He steps back, skating his hands down my arms and he look away.

"You're really serious this time, huh?"

"Turning you down is even harder when you want the same thing. You don't want to be left behind, and I don't want to leave you."

"You don't?" I can hear my heart pounding.

"No. But…Sometimes we can't have the things we want, even when it feels right."

I shake my head and look away in disapproval.

"I'll bring you back whatever you want, okay? Anything."

My brow furrows and he squeezes my hands in apology.

"I don't want souvenirs. I want to be where you are… and I thought you wanted the same thing."

He is looking at me but I can't look back at him yet. This is more me; I can be honest, I should be able to be. If passive aggressive doesn't work…

I grip his hands and look him in the eye. If I have to be the one to banish these doubts, I will.

"Do you want me?"

His eyes are wide and aching again. I feel it radiating off him in waves, as if he can't contain it.

Yes.

Yes.

_Yes._

_I want you. I need you. I miss you so much._

A tremor runs through his hands, and then his fingers carefully slide between mine as he lowers his gaze.

"I…I can't."

I pout my lips in a tight line and nod my head. So he can't… or he doesn't want to. Even in my dreams I can't get him to say aloud how he feels.

"If only you knew…"

"Knew what?"

When he pulls back, he looks into my eyes with such clarity that everything else goes out of focus.

He looks up at me with a mischievous curve tugging on his strawberry lips.

"You're more honest in your dreams."

"Huh?"

Just like I remember, Asra takes a flower and tucks it behind my ear before I can speak, but I am hopeful with that look in his eyes.

"I really can't wait to see you again. I'll be back soon."

His voice reverberates through my consciousness, soft and full of promise. My mind grasps after the vestiges of the dream, but I'm someplace else now- the marketplace, the corner of my room, the palace, and there are other figures in other parts of my dream—but then it all fades away.

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**BOOK IV: THE EMPEROR**

Sunlight tickles my face. I open my eyes with a groan.

"Good morning!"

I scramble backward in bed. For a moment, I have no idea where I am. And then I remember. The room is so fine, I could only be at the palace. Portia busies herself with the curtains while I get my bearings about me.

"What a lovely sunrise. Did you sleep well? I hope the dogs didn't wake you last night. Something set them off, they were causing a ruckus. I was afraid we had an intruder! Wouldn't that just be exactly what we need right now.

She laughs, and I wonder if the dogs were barking at something like the ghostly figure I saw last night.

"Well, I didn't find anyone. It's a good thing too, because all I had on hand was a shovel. That could've gotten ugly. Anyway, breakfast will be served shortly. I'll let you freshen up, then we'll head over. By the way… The Countess has requested that you bring your cards with you."

I sit up at that, fully awake.

"Portia, can I ask you a sort of odd question?"

"Of course! Odd questions are the best questions!" She stops moving around and gives me her full attention.

"Does anything mysterious ever happen in the palace?"

"What do you mean?"

I sigh, realizing how childish this may sound. "Oh, I don't know… Like, are there rumors of ghosts or anything around here?"

"Oh yeah, plenty! The other servants always say they've seen spirits near the Count's old wing."

"Do they, now?"

"Yes! Especially when they're late on their duties. They claim the ghosts hypnotized them or they captured them or something, and I'm like, well if that were true, you'd be gone, not here late for work…" Finally, Portia scans the clothes she's holding to her chest.  **"** Ah, these are for you."

She sets a neat pile of clothing on the bed beside me. I unfold the top piece, marveling at the way the fabric moves.

"I hope you don't mind… I have explicit orders to make sure you're not wearing the same thing you were wearing last night."

I blink, glancing over my old clothes still on the floor, probably still bearing some ash. They might be looking a little worse for the wear.

"I'll give you some privacy."

Portia ducks out the door. I move the silky garments aside and toss back my bedcovers.

I disrobe and pull on my new outfit, fumbling with its delicate clasps and buttons. The fabric flutters around my limbs like a gentle breeze. It feels as though I'm wearing nothing at all. I blush at the nearly see through lavender and gold wrapped around me when I look in the mirror and sway my body a bit. I grab the arcana and head out to the corridor to meet Portia.

"Oooh! Don't you look nice!" Portia praises. "The Countess has a real eye for fashion. She'll definitely be pleased. Let's not keep her waiting, shall we?"

My chest swells with confidence. Fighting back a grin, I follow Portia to the dining room.

The room is bright, far more welcoming than before. Servants are bustling to and fro. The Countess is already seated when I enter, and she appears to be nursing a headache. She spares me a brief glance from beneath the hand cradling her forehead.

"Good morning. I trust you had a pleasant night's sleep. Well, I had an exceptionally miserable one. The dreams were… vivid. Enough to frighten me awake, and yet I cannot remember any of them. And then, of course, the dogs were feeling active."

I flush as I recall one part of my dreams concerning Asra.

"Um… I'm sorry your dreams were bad, Countess."

"It is not your fault." She cracks one eye open to scan the servant walking around. "Hello, Portia."

"Coffee, milady?"

"Ugh, please."

A nod, and Portia goes to a gleaming golden contraption nestled in the far corner. The Countess strokes her temples, and lowers her hand from her face. The full force of her gaze falls upon me.

"Ah, you've changed. Is that the ensemble I sent down? My, my. The difference is astounding. One would hardly recognize you. The fit appears to be correct. Those garments you came with were most unkind to you.

Under her shameless scrutiny, my face starts to prickle with heat.

I clear my throat. "Thank you, Countess."

"Who would have guessed that you were so becoming underneath? Ah, and how nicely these colors compliment your tones. I do have an impeccable eye, don't I, Portia?"

"Impeccable."

A sumptuous egg dish is placed before me, drawing my attention. Meanwhile, the blue-feathered servant from last night bustles to the Countess's side to report some goings-on. I drown out the chatter and focus on my meal, marveling at its delicate texture. And yet… my eyes keep flicking up to the painting on the wall. It feels as though it's watching me.

The Countess's voice shakes me from my thoughts.

"I understand that you have your cards with you?

Cautiously, I pull my satchel up from the floor and into my lap.

"Splendid. Please, come closer."

The servants promptly relocate me to a seat at the Countess's side. This is the closest we've been since our first meeting. It almost makes me nervous to breathe.

"First and foremost… in thirteen days, we will be celebrating the Count's birthday. Preparations, as you know, are well underway. So I must ask you to be expedient in this. It is not my intention to rush you. But by the time the day is out… I will need to know whether you intend to cooperate with me. Unless, perchance, you have decided to do so already?

I nod my head. "I have made a decision, Countess."

"And?"

I blink and focus on my thoughts. The last day has been thrilling, to say the least, maybe even a little overwhelming. Still… the dream last night solidified my decision.

"I will of course assist you in this case in anyway I can."

If Asra won't take me on an adventure with him, I'll endure one of my own.

The Countess's weary visage blossoms into a satisfied smile.

"A wise choice! I am pleased to hear it. If you serve me well, you will have my utmost gratitude. And of course, a generous reward."

I perk up at the mention of this reward. So much has happened, I had forgotten all about it.

"Oh, yes… well to be honest, there's a lot of mystery behind what happened with the Count, m'lady. I want to help you find the truth."

"Ah, that eager face will be my undoing. And yours as well, if you do not learn to master it."

She's complimenting my appearance again, and I'm undoubtedly flattered.

"Together, we will make a fine team. Our forces combined are quite formidable. You and I, my guard, and those cards of yours."

I feel confident. Good.

Then, her eyes open, and her gaze falls pointedly on the bag in my lap. I'm compelled to pull it closer to me, but under the watchful eye of my hostess, I resist. Instead, I retrieve the deck from its hiding spot and place it hesitantly on the table.

The Countess's eyes flash with interest. She smiles, looking out the window with a musical sigh.

"It is a glorious morning, a new day. I trust that my fortune will have changed. Read the cards for me again, my dear. I would like to know what they have to share on the heels of this fortuitous news."

I start shuffling. As usual, the feeling of my master's deck in my hands is a little unnerving. The cards leave a faint tingling sensation on my fingertips. Distracting, but familiar. It helps me empty my mind.

I shuffle the cards and the room is silent. When I pull from the deck, it is the Emperor, reversed.

"And, what does he have for me?"

It's not good, but I have to be honest, or I know I'll look like a sham.

"You wear a facade of power, a distraction from how powerless you feel. Your need to control the world around you is a reflection of the chaos within you. And now, you are using your authority to feed your ego… …to consume those around you in your hunger for dominance."

There is a collective silence, no one daring to so much as breathe. I hadn't realized the servants were watching. Their faces are stricken. Portia has her hands clasped over her mouth. And yet… the Countess looks pleased. She lifts the card from the table and examines it with a curious eye.

"I see. That is all very presumptuous of him."

Chuckling, she rises. The servants quiver with anticipation.

"I should like to invite you to stroll. I trust you have no other engagements? There is something I would like to show you."

It seems I had passed the Countess' test. She would not want someone agreeing with her, but someone who is honest and direct.

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Portia and Nadia leave me in the enchanting, verdant and midnight colored library. I am sitting where the murderous doctor sat, and I'm compelled to think about our first encounter and what I need to do next. I've looked over the folios and books, with some notes form the Doctor himself form when he was employed there, but nothing is sparking interest in my being or magic. Then—

I unfurl one of the scrolls. The paper is soft, almost powdery to the touch. It is written in the same hurried, fluid scrawl I saw in the doctor's notes. At the bottom of the page, isolated from the dense swath of cursive, is a single letter "J". A signature? If it's signed at the bottom… My suspicious may be correct. The letter appears to be addressed at the top. I narrow my eyes at the scribbles on the page, trying to make sense of them. Dear… dear sister? Once I have seen the words, I'm fairly sure of them. The letter is addressed "Dear sister". A sister… did he have one?

Knowing this somehow makes him seem less sinister then he did the night of our meeting. Or maybe I just want his misdeeds to be the case for some reason.

I simply must see him again, to understand what his intentions were at my shop.

I run my fingers over the delicate writing and my heart skips a beat. I feel a sharp jolt of longing and old regret. I must be sensing what the doctor was feeling when he wrote this letter to his sister. I rewind the scroll and tuck it in my bag. Its something the doctor cared about, and its my only connection to him. A surge of excitement and apprehension rush through me.

"I can use this… with the scroll and my magic to assist me, I might just be able to track him in town." I look out the mosaic glass. If I'm quick, I should be back in time for dinner with the Countess.

The sun is dipping in the sky as I make my way back into the city. My breath grows short as tremors of anxiety radiate from my gut, spreading to my fingertips.

I have always had Asra do tracking magic with me before; I've never done this on my won. Still, I focus on my breathing and his teachings so I can get the job done. A tingling sensation pulls me deeper into the city, and I follow it without any doubts.

I walk up a scaly path of old stairs into a dark part of town as the sun fades away. Clustered apartments line the passage and murky reddish water swirls in the sluggish canal.

Suddenly a door in front of me swings open, casting warm light down three jagged stone steps.

A man is staggering out of the building, raising his arm to the people in the room behind him.

"Oh, I'll be back. Just stepping out for some air."

The doctor!

I freeze, mid-step. My heart leaping into my throat. My spell… it worked. But I hadn't thought about what I'd do when I found him.

I step back, or try to, and something catches my heel, toppling me into an empty barrel.

I yell disapprovingly, and groan until I open my eyes. The next thing I know, I'm staring at the sky in defeat, until I flail my limbs trying to stand up again uselessly as boot steps approach.

"Hello. That was quite a tumble! Are you alright?"

Oh no.

The doctor leans over the barrel, extending a hand. He rears back when he sees my face.

"The… the shopkeep? What are you doing here?"

"You know, just hanging out. In a barrel. You know the usual. You?" I grunt as I keep trying to lift myself from the barrel.

"Oh, sorry! Come on, upsy-daisy."

A firm grip encircles each one of my wrists, and I'm hauled out of the barrel like a snail shucked from its shell.

I stagger forward into the doctor's broad, gleaming chest as all of my possessions tumble from my bag. Knocked off balance, he promptly shifts his grip to my upper arms and steps back, stabilizing us both. For a moment, his grey eye meets mine in surprise at our sudden proximity, and he certainly doesn't look menacing now.

Then, with a friendly pat to my arms, he releases me.

I take a quick survey of my surroundings. Judging by the barrels and the noise, we're behind a tavern. A hole in the wall, hidden from the street. Painted on the door is a cackling blackbird, lying back on a crescent moon. The Rowdy Raven, it reads. I've never heard of the place…

"dare I ask what brings you to this neck of the woods?" He rubs the back of his neck, and his eye roams to the scattered items.

"Oh. What's this?"

I think he's about to reach for my deck on the floor, but he instead looks at the sprawled open scroll to our side. He probably recognizes it. He picks it up and starts looking, and I'm eager to take back all of the belongings, so I snatch it back.

snatch the scroll out of his hands, leaving him blinking at thin air.

"That… is that mine?"

I draw the parchment close to my chest, but he's already seen. What's more, he might be the only person capable of explaining it. Curiosity compelled me to take the thing in the first place… would he be willing to reveal its contents to me?

"It is yours. From your desk."

"My desk?"

"Back at the palace."

"The palace?" He seems confused, then his face softens in realization. "Oh, my desk… from the palace… in the library. Lovely window right above it."

There's an awkward pause. How do I even begin to explain how I got here to reaching him? With everything so far that's happened, explaining magic certainly doesn't seem to fit. Why am I so tongue tied when I'm around this scoundrel?

"So, the rumors were true, then. Last I heard, you were heading for the palace. But, you're not here with a fleet of guards, so I hope…"

"Ah, how do you know about that?" I demand, folding my arms.

"Oh, well, just word travels quickly in town is all!" He seems flustered, like he's hiding something. "I'm sure by now you've heard all kinds of stories about me."

I nod. "That and more."

"But you haven't heard my side of the story, have you?"

"That's true…" I squint my eyes cautiously. "But do you really have a good story for me? Or, is it all just black and white as the rumors have been saying?"

"I suppose that's for you to decide, if you feel inclined to hear my side of the story." He's smiling, and its sincere. He nods his chin to the door of the Rowdy Raven.

"You'll tell me your side?"

"Of course! Besides, I do still owe you for the reading. Are you thirsty? It would be my treat."

He's being so friendly. It could be a trick, but what choice do I have? I wanted adventure, and I want to solve this case, so…

"I could certainly use a drink."

Oh, fantastic. Please, allow me.

He beckons me up the steps to the door, easing it open and leading me through to the warmth inside.

It's only past sundown, but the tavern is in full swing. The noise is cacophonous. The barkeep, wide, scar-faced and barrel-armed, gives the doctor a cheeky salute when we pass by. A cackling drunkard swings out a wooden leg, which Doctor Devorak politely pushes aside. He ushers me through the tumult with practiced ease. I duck as a haggard raven flutters in after us from the alley, squawking and beating its wings against the windows. Tutting, my escort winds an arm around my shoulders and guides me to a cozy booth in the back.

"Now… What can I get you to drink?"

I scan the bar at a distance. Colorful bottles line the walls, some flavored with roots and herbs, others with coins, rocks and beetles. The doctor must notice my apprehension.

"You know, how about I take care of it and you make yourself comfortable? I'll be right back."

He breezes past me towards the bar. I settle into my seat, fidgeting with me scroll in my lap as my eyes starts to wander. Nearby, a pair of old crones are hunched over a card game, attended by an energetic, squabbling crowd. The sight reminds me of Asra's deck, as well as the other contents of my bag. Stomach dropping, I dive for it to check. Miraculously, the deck is safe and sound at the bottom,

Still, I relax, even more so when I find my possessions stacked on the bench beside me. Smiling faintly, I find myself seeking him out at the bar, where he is chatting with the barkeep. Laughter erupts between them, audible from my spot in the corner. He looks perfectly at ease. His aura is so different from when I met him at the shop… I shift my gaze to the tabletop as he returns, makes his way back with our drinks and sets mine before me.

"There you are."

He slides into the booth across from me, gulping down his drink with gusto. Wary, I peer into the golden liquid in my cup. It smells of fruit, and it doesn't look tampered, but…

Frowning, I snatch the drink from his spidery fingers and switch it with mine. The doctor blinks as though he can't tell whether he'd imagined it or not. I hold his gaze while I gulp it down. He returns my stare with growing interest while I drain it to the last drop. I slam down the stein, and he raises his, sipping to mask his grin.

"Very smart. Never trust a free drink. But ohh, if I was trying to poison you, I would have just ordered the seafood. Anything caught in that river should be given an apology and tossed back."

It wasn't that funny, but I'm giggling at the review on the food, and his smile widens.

"…You know, I never did get your name."

Fingers interlocking on the table between us, he gives me a coy look.

Heat flares under my cheeks. I clear my throat and pat my chest before answering.

"Ahem. Ezi. That is, my name is Elizabeth, but everyone just calls me Ezi."

"Ahh, Ezi, now  _that_  is a name. Such strength, such presence. Please, Ezi, call me Julian."

He offers me his hand and I take it, not to be intimidated by his leathery grip. The admiration in his single gaze triggers a tremor of fluttering pride in my chest. I'm not sure why.

I'm almost lost for words, but I find them when I look away again, grinning slightly.

"Julian, you told me you wanted to share your side of the story."

"Of course, darling. But first, I'd have to take another look at that document."

A painless trade. I hand over the scroll, and he spreads it flat across the table. Once exposed, its contents steal the smile from his face. He leans over the page, frowning in concentration.

"All right, let's see. Oof. This light is not for reading. Well, it's a letter, but you knew that. Dear so and so…"

"Dear sister."

His eye flicks up to me, mortified.

"You- you can read this?"

Not really, but he doesn't need to know that. I shrug noncommittally.

"Incredible, you know a cryptographer told me once that it would take years of study and look at you. A natural."

I squirm discreetly at the praise. The doctor beams, blinks and returns to the page.

"Ahem. Dear… dear sister, I have… much to share since last I wrote. Winter has come to the palace… these marble floors are so cold… each morning…"

His voice tapers to a mumble, and then he's quiet. His gaze slides carefully over the page, and I watch his face for signs. The more he reads, the more he pauses to massage his temples, or to pinch the bridge of his nose.

By the time he's finished, he looks wistful, drained. He rolls up the letter and hands it, surprisingly, back to me. Absent-mindedly he reaches for his stein, tossing the rest of his drink down his throat.

"You have a sister."

A wet cough, spluttering, and he sets down the empty drink.

"I do. Haven't seen her since she was ohh… this high."

His fingers flutter just above the lip of the table.

"Excuse me."

Whisking our empty steins away, Julian heads back to the bar. I huff through my nose, more curious than before. Shrill bickering from the card-playing crones' table. I turn to see spectators throwing their hands up in the air. Meanwhile, Julian makes quick work at the bar. On his way back, he is accosted at the card game, wrist snatched by a bony claw. After a moment's deliberation, he leans in, whispers to one of the crones, and taps a single card in her hand. The card is played, throwing the crowd into chaos. Julian ducks away just as someone douses him with their drink. He's still wiping it away, chuckling when he returns to his seat.

"You would think I'd know better than to get involved with politics."

"Looks like you know all the right moves." I don't know why I said that mischievously, but he cocks an eyebrow, setting down our drinks and leaning one arm on the table in a debonair pose.

"Well, once you've made all the wrong ones… What can I say? Some call me clever, but I'm just… practiced in the weighing of options. Options like 'bad' and 'worse'. That's life for you."

He rubs the back of his neck, glancing sidelong at the door.

"Or maybe I'm just paranoid. The barkeep says I've got more in common with the raven than anyone else."

"Raven?

I recall the skeletal bird that followed us in from the alley.

"Aye, the rowdy one. He spends his time scouting for guards. Obsessively, even. He raises hell whenever they come by. Even the sight of the Count's crest drives him wild. Oddly enough, I don't think anyone really trained him to be that way."

Julian laughs softly, and his gaze falls back to me.

"Though I suppose we're all trained to be that way."

The words have a mysterious gravity. I feel as though he's trying to tell me something more.

"Is that why you're not afraid of being seen?"

He sets a second drink down on the table for me, and another for him. I wonder how many he's had tonight.

"Here? Nooo. No, I'm not too worried. Folks around here aren't known to, uh, oblige the wants and wishes of the palace."

Julian scans the smoky rafters while I process what he told me. It's… a little surprising. Where Asra and I live, palace guards are treated with reverence. And fear, in no small measure. They eat as they like in the market, with no expectation of payment… …wait a minute.

"But, I saw you out in the open near my shop, too!"

Anxiety washes over my good humor. The doctor grimaces, and there's some shock and red on his face.

"Oh! W-w-well that probably wasn't me. There's plenty of men who have the same features as I do."

"No… it was definitely you, Julian Devorak. You saw me in the crowd too, right?"

"Ah, I uh, d-don't recall, darling."

Suddenly the raven bursts in through a dusty window overhead, flying in loops with a guttural shriek.

The bird beats itself against a string of bells, and the tavern erupts into chaos.

The barkeep slams his burly palms on the bar top. **"** Guards! Palace guards!"

Patron's claw their way out of every door and window, playing cards tossed and fluttering in the air.

"Let's run!" Julian scoops me bodily from my seat and rushes me out the back door, back into the alley.

The night is cold now. The doctor casts a frantic glance up and down the alley before crowding me into the shadows.

"You'll be able to find your way back to the palace, yes?

Jittering, I nod. He clasps my upper arms and leads me to the mouth of the valley.

"Then, good luck." He is about to sprint but stops and turns to me again. "And, Ezi? Thank you for—just, thank you."

Thank you? Its because I haven't turned him in yet, and I pardoned that idea in exchange for a simple drink and his company.

I'm released, and I stumble into the road. Oil-slick rats disappear into gutters, and the apartments have their shutters locked. I cast one last glance to the alley, but the doctor is already gone. Typical. In the blink of an eye, the street has fallen silent as the grave, and I am the only living thing in sight.

Head spinning, I dash up the road from whence I came.

"Hey, you-!"

I turn around with apprehension to the stomping guard that has spotted me.

"Oh, you are the Countess' help, the Magaician, are you not?"

"Y-yes. I was out looking for clues, that's all, but I should be heading back to the palace."

"You didn't see the wanted man near here, did you?"

I swallow.

"Oh, of course not. I was just getting a drink on my own, but no luck."

The guard nods. "I'll escort you to the palace. Come along, then."

With the guard in front of me, I smile to myself. Oh, how eventful these past few days have been. I'm nervous and uncertain, yet sweat trickles from my brow fickle with hot determination as well.

I have met a rather mysterious man tonight, and he seems more gentle and alluring than even I could have expected from before.

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When we reach the palace, I have dinner with the Countess and we discuss trivial things, but I am to meet her courtiers tomorrow after the Masquerade will be announced to the public. There's a lot hanging here, but I'm still conflicted.

"When the doctor hangs, he will hang for all who wish to see."

I think of the personable Julian, bathed in the warm welcoming light of the tavern, swinging from the gallows. My heart grows cold at the image, but I'm careful not to let it show on my face.

I've had a leisurely and casual conversation with Nadia, and she seems more normal to me as I hear of her family and favorite food that involves a swordfish. Surely, this woman would understand if things went awry, but I still would rather risk it.

She casts her gaze about the dining room, before rising slowly.

"I wonder if you would like to join me on the veranda for a nightcap?"

She looks down at me, a soft smile tugging at her lips. I flush under her scrutiny.

"Just the two of us."

She is rather bold, though. Her stern and power give me chills of admiration.

"No thank you."

"Ah, are you tired? Or perhaps shy…? It is quite alright, Ezi. Whatever your reasons, I understand completely. Well. No need to waste good cordial. I think I shall take it in my room, then. I do hope you will have a pleasant evening, Ezi. Portia, please show our guest back to their room.

Nadia exists the dining room, the scent of jasmine lingering in the air for a moment before fading as well. Portia appears at my elbow, smiling warmly.

"Well! What an eventful day, huh? Come on, I'll walk you back to your room."

I nod gratefully and get to my feet, following Portia out.

The walk back to the guest room is less eventful tonight. Mercedes and Melchior are nowhere to be seen. Our footsteps echo in the empty halls. Portia walks cheerfully beside me.

"Things are a lot more interesting around here since you showed up. The guards have been scrambling around, making sure they know who you are and the situation so not to displease the Countess!"

"Do you spend a lot of time with the other servants?"

"We work together pretty closely. It's my job to know who and what's happening in the palace.

She winks conspiratorially at me, and then starts walking again, hair swaying with the bounce in her step. We arrive at the door to my guest room. She waits expectantly for me to enter.

It seems servants came during the day to tidy up. They've placed a fresh pitcher of water on the desk. Incense burns by the window, filling the room with hazy swirls of wood and spice. Portia looks as if she's dying to ask me a question, but it falters before it can escape her lips. She smooths her hand over the papers on my desk. I recognize them as the ones I took from Julian's study.

"What happens after I capture the doctor? Will there be a trial?"

"No… Milady is certain of his guilt. The execution will continue as scheduled."

" You seem concerned. "

"Concerned? Me? Maybe. It's just… I don't know, he's not the only suspect, right? Sure, many people loved the Count, but… Just between you and me… I think Count Lucio had a lot of enemies, too.

"Enemies? Who?"

Portia shakes her head, and runs her hands down her skirt.

"I wasn't employed at the palace when it happened. I've only heard rumors of what went on that night. Just… keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious, alright?

Portia pauses, looking from left to right, then widens her eyes as she leans in close to me, voice low.

"There's plenty of hidden magic and passage ways in this place. Anyone could have committed the murder, you know? Maybe I could show you some secrets… If you think you can handle them, that is."

Is she teasing me? She smiles, giving me another wink, and tilts her head, waiting for an answer.

I smirk back. "Show me the secrets."

"Ah! I just knew you and I would get along, Ezi. I can see us being good friends already!"

"Me to. To be honest, this whole experience has been a breath of fresh air, but… I wasn't expecting you and the others in the palace to be so nice to me, too."

"That's our duty! So, ready to go? I know just where to begin our little evening tour!"

I nod, and Portia wraps her arm around mine, and we walk back out into the hall on our little night adventure.

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**BOOK V: THE HIEROPHANT**

**Pat Him Down/Who Am I to You?**

 

In the market, the wagon jolts beneath me, bouncing on the uneven road and lurching from side to side. I’m headed to town with Portia, to make the announcement, The sun is just rising when we arrive at the market.

 **“** All right everybody, listen up!”

The chattering servants, loaded with baskets, fall silent and congregate around Portia.

 **“** Noon o’ clock, we’ll be making the announcement at the city square. Til then, you all know your errands. Talk to me if you don’t. As for you, Ezi, I thought you might like to check on your shop.”

Her words set off a cascade of emotions, the first being relief.

“I would like very much to check on my shop!”

“Good! I’ll try to find you, but if I don’t, try to be at the square by noon. Bye now!”

 

The servants depart, spreading out into the marketplace. I head in the direction opposite, straight for the shop.

My very own oasis. Even in the misty, overcast light, it seems to glow. My shop. Hopping up the steps, I press my palm to the door and release the sealing spell. Hastily, I turn the first two locks, fumbling and dropping my keys before I can get to the third. When I dip down to retrieve them, I spot a small leather pouch resting on the stoop. It is rough in make, and heavy with energy.

Someone left this for me… picking the knot, I open the pouch. Inside is a magic mixture. Herbs, bark, resin and incense. I pour a little into my palm and sniff. Myrrh is strongest, but there are scents of sage and marrow root. A mixture for protection. I cast a glance to either side of the street, quiet under the cloudy sky. There’s no one nearby.

I fetch my keys and turn the third lock. Just as I lean on the door… It sings open, and I nearly collapse into the last person I expected to see. Doctor Devorak! The sight of him freezes me in my tracks, the pouch dropping from my nerveless fingers. I struggle to speak, but he beats me to it.

 **“** …Well, hello there. Fancy seeing you here. Ezi, I, ah, I was in the neighborhood, thought I’d check if you’d gotten home alright. And here you are, getting home all right.”

“Here I am.” I say sternly.

“Marvelous, I’ll stop wringing my hands, then!”

Something tells me he’s not being completely honest. For a moment, I think about calling for the guards, but I hesitate. This is the second time he’s been in my shop. Will the guards think I’ve been harboring him? Either way, I still have questions for him. I have no fear of the doctor anymore. I fix him with a narrow gaze.

“How am I supposed to believe you? You’ve broken in twice now. What are you after?”

“What am I after? Why, I’m not after anything. What would I be-“ He stops himself in realization. “Oh, I hope you don’t think I’m a _thief_. I’m a lot of things, but not that. But… you wouldn’t take my word for it, would you?”

I fold my arms, trying to keep my smirk down. He is trying very hard to prove his innocence and its amusing.

To my surprise, the doctor shucks off his overcoat, and I grimace as he starts to unbutton his waistcoat. He throws it open with a flutter, arms outstretched, palm-up in submission.

Now, he is the one smirking. “Search me. If you find anything of yours, I’ll show myself to the stocks. Go ahead. Search until you’re satisfied.”

He lowers his eye, presenting himself for inspection. The sight makes me grow hot at the ears, embarrassed, from his the sparkling grin traced above his thin jawline, to the exposed shimmering chest underneath his white top. He won’t look away, but I do for a moment, flustered at his willingness to be exposed. He certainly has a flirtatious way about him, but he could also be a thief.

“You did enter the shop again, and I’m not in the mood to search around for missing items…” Now I can feel it, the friction of smoldering desire to find the truth in such an intimate way stirs within me.

“I think I will pat you down.”

From the stunned look on his face, he wasn’t expecting me to take him up on it.

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you? Well then, don’t be shy. I promise I’ll be good.”

I take a step closer, roaming his body as to determine where I should begin.

I bite my bottom lip, trying not to reveal the sensation tingling in my fingers. I  think that its just my magic trying to warn me, but I know this is wrong on my own. Still…

I gingerly run my hands down one of his arms. I can feel how cool his skin is, even through the thin material of his shirt. There’s barely a sliver of space between us. The leather of his glove creaks as he flexes the lean muscles of his arm under my hand.

“Ohh, you have such lovely hands. You can squeeze a little harder, you know. I won’t mind.”

More praise from the rebel. Anyone can flirt, but it seems to be working for me in this situation.

Brazen to his words, he bites his lip when I press firmly on his other arm and shoulder, but he doesn’t protest. As I’m roaming his body, I see he is scanning me with his curious eye.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you up close in broad daylight before.”

He reaches for me, trying to close that last inch between our bodies.

I’m flustered—he’s so close to me—

“Hey, please stop moving.”

He does, and smiles.

“You don’t have to be so polite with me, darling. I can handle it—“

When he raises his fingers towards me again, touching my wrists, I smack his hand away.

“Stop moving.” I say with a stern expression, trying boldly not to reveal the rush of the action. For a moment, I worry that I’ve gone too far, but...

Julian doesn’t seem offended at all. He bites his lip, flushing, and he obediently drops his arms back to his side.

I circle behind him, and he twists around to watch me, not letting me out his sight. His eye is bright with interest. My cheeks warm under his shameless stare.

“I had no idea you were so… hands on.”

“I’m full of surprises.”

I can’t help this feeling, and he certainly doesn’t seem to mind it either.

“How daring of you. Aren’t you afraid someone will see?”

I pause for a moment. He is right… what am I thinking? Patting down this wanted man in public for the guards to find him. It is misty out, to the pint it feels like we are alone, though…

He turns his head more to see me clearly with his good eye.

“Or perhaps, you’d like to go inside to pat me down with more privacy?”

I involuntarily make a yelping sound in my throat as my cheeks flare even more, and a warm shiver goes up my back.

He is chuckling, utterly pleased with himself, and this makes me want to get him back. I find my composure.

“Julian, did I say you could move?”

His eye widens.

“I, ah… no, you didn’t.”

“Then turn back around, _darling.”_

He complies without hesitation. I can see the tips of his ears turn read and I lick my dry lips with the notion of victory. A fine tremor goes through him when I slide my palms down his back.

“Besides, shouldn’t you be the one afraid of being seen?”

“Er, well, I suppose that’s true…”

I run my hands over his hips, checking his pockets, and stop when I feel an unexpected hard edge.

“Ah, that, don’t worry about that.” He answers quickly before I can say anything.

…It’s a knife, hidden in his pocket.

“But you know, I am happy to see you. I can show you, if you like.”

My face is hot. He’s incorrigible, but I can feel him nervously shifting his weight. So, he acts confident when he’s really probably just as nervous as I am.

I walk back around to his front, trailing my fingertips over his hip with powerful strides. He sways in my direction, but holds himself still with a visible effort.

His eye is half lidded, yearning for more touches.

I clench my teeth. “Tell me what you were really looking for.”

He looks down at his feet. “You’re very persistent, aren’t you? And, hmm. Thorough.”

Julian’s throat bobs when he swallows, and he lets out a slow, shaky sigh. I take out my own exhale as we’ve halted the physical interrogating at the moment.

“I… I was looking for answers. But I didn’t find any. Not the ones I wanted.”

He seems sullen at his own news.

“Alright. I believe you.”

“Huh? I, ah, Wait. Really?”

“Really.” I nod my head once affirmatively.

“That’s a terrible idea. You shouldn’t take anyone at their word, least of all me.”

“I can believe whatever ideas I want. And, I believe you, so, deal with it.”

“Well, er, I do hope you’re satisfied, then. I would just hate to disappoint you.”

He retrieves his overcoat with a showy flourish and slips it back on.

He clears his throat. “Well, I’m sure you have things to do, so I’ll just be getting out of your way…” He takes a wide step, contorting his long form around me to pass.

“Dr. Julian—Doctor Devorak-!”

He looks over at me one last time with a small smile.

“Farewell, Ezi—“

His broad grin takes a second to fade, before shock takes over his features. I look carefully over my shoulder at whatever has his attention.

The second I see it, I face her fully. Portia. She must have come to find me, but she pays no attention to me at all. All of her focus, the suspended disbelief in her wide eyes, is on the man beside me. When she speaks… The quiet word that escapes her sounds different, an unused voice from the depths of her heart.

“Ilya?”

Portia stumbles, then runs to him. I back into the wall as she throws herself at the doctor.

 **“I** lya?! Is it really you?”

Her shaking hands come to either side of his face. His eye starts to shine, I notice in wonder.

 **“** It’s me.”

There’s a short pause, before Portia’s face scrunches into indistinguishable rage and agony.

 **“** You- you- **You bastard!** What are you doing here?! Out in the open? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

Her fingers curl, tugging at his ears and drawing a shameful wince.

 **“** You’ve grown up strong, Pasha. I’m… sorry I wasn’t there to see it.”

“Ohh, I’ll show you sorry! You unbelievable… EZI!”

Spotted, I can only offer Portia a curious, wide eyed look. She releases Julian’s ears, tugging him off the stoop.

“I-I… I’ll catch up with you later!”

Without further ado, Portia hauls the floundering doctor away to an alley nearby, leaving me to ponder. Didn’t they seem like family? I enter my shop, and head straight for the backroom. My curiosity has concocted a theory.

Everything that’s happened in the last few days needs some sort of resolution. Who was Julian to think he’d get answers from Asra anyway? Perhaps, the sister was Portia all along?

I linger over Asra’s possessions, his clothing and magical relics, comforted by his smoky scent. My mind flickers to me touching Julian’s powerful hips as I inspect him with aching curiosity and yearning…

I shake my head and continue my search. I don’t have long to stay and search. I collect the magical components I need, but his book is nowhere to be found. He must have taken it with him.

“Damn it…”

If I could locate Julian with his scroll, maybe I could find a way to talk to Asra about everything with a personal item of his own. Before I know it, the sun is high in the sky. A distant clock tolls the hour, shocking me to my feet. The announcement! I can already hear a crowd roaring in the distance. Biting my lip in vexation, I abandon my venture and close up shop, headed for the city square.

 

**.**

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**.**

 

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I plop onto the bed. What a day. What an evening. Nadia’s roaming eyes over me as she dressed me in bubbly scented soaps and silk, and then of course there was my intrepid statement to her courtier at the meeting earlier that day:

_A prim figure in steely grey robes rounds the couch and offers me a soft, pale hand, looking down a thin nose at me. Consul Valerius. Portia made special mention of him… The Countess minds him more than the others._

**_“…_ ** _Or perhaps the witch might tell us themselves.”_

_I’m tired of this._

_“_ _Perhaps don’t call me that.”_

_The courtiers round on Valerius, gasping with bright, hungry eyes. Uh oh. I’ve caused a scene._

_“_ _Witch? Is that not your occupation?” He demands. “Ah, forgive my mistake. You are but an apprentice.”_

_The courtiers turn to me, hands fluttering over their mouths._

_I swallow, and smile placidly. “The title is actually “Sorceress” for me. It is okay, I do not expect someone who is ignorant of the magical world to know the details of such intricate titles. All is forgiven.”_

_The Consul holds his narrow gaze, even as the Countess’s sonorous voice rises over the whispers._

_“You know, if you all wanted so badly to know how that night transpired, you might have simply asked...”_

Sorceress? Why did I call myself that? Perhaps I just wanted to say something clever back. Of course, Nadia had not been embarrassed by me. In fact, she enjoyed the show rather prudently. She did offer to shower me with royal gifts after the encounter, after all. If I’m going to get anywhere with this investigation, I must continue to stand tall.

I lie in wait until the halls are quiet… midnight, perhaps, before I steal out of my room.

With the emerald hanging from my neck, I’m enveloped in a dreamy calm. The thought of hearing Asra’s voice again… I dash through the empty halls and out onto the veranda.

Humid wind pulls and swells against me, moving languidly through the garden, carrying the babble of night birds.

When I reach the fountain under the weeping willow tree, someone familiar is hanging from its branches.

 **“** Faust! What are you doing here?”

Did she know I was coming? Or could this be where she keeps slithering off to… Her weight drops eagerly onto my shoulders, sleek body giving me a friendly squeeze. She takes immediate interest in the emerald, tongue flickering after it as I lift the pendant from my neck. I close my eyes, take a deep, even breath, holding the jewel over the water… …And drop it. Light catches every glimmering, green face as it sinks to the bottom of the pool. Faust rolls herself along my shoulders as the water starts to change, colors blooming, shapes unfolding.

I see Asra, drawing water to his face and drinking deeply. Each drop that trickles from his hands sends ripples through his image as it strikes the surface. I’m so shocked to see him that I can only gape silently, afraid that any sound will break the spell. Then he shakes out his hair, blinks the water from his eyes, and looks straight at me.

“Ezi?”

Asra looks as surprised as I am. He leans forward, close enough that I can see droplets in his eyelashes.

“Can you hear me?”

I nod, barely able to believe it myself. If this is no spell of his, then how did I…?

“Incredible!” He laughs. I see now that he is sitting cross-legged, probably behind a pond. His mount, the strange beast from before, is lying beside him, resting its weighty head on his knee.

“Ah, that’s Faust. Looks like she found you all right. I wasn’t all that sure about leaving her. But after that reading you gave me… I thought I’d trust my intuition.”

“I’m glad that she’s here.”

I glance up at Faust, who has slithered to the branch. She looks very proud of herself. In the reflection, Asra looks pretty pleased with himself too. It makes me laugh.

“I’m glad that you’re here, too.”

His face flushes, and the beast on his knee gives a rumbling snort.

“But doesn’t that mean you left her to spy on me? In fact… aren’t you spying on me right now?” I challenge.

Faust was able to work this level of magic, on her own? I don’t buy it.

Asra merely shrugs, eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Even when I’m gone, I still manage to offend you, huh? But… if anyone’s spying, isn’t it you? I felt your eyes on me before I saw you there. Well, I felt thirsty eyes drinking me up.”

His teasing tone makes my blood pressure climb.

 _“Thirsty eyes?”_ I roll my eyes and he snickers. Getting right down to business, I tell him exactly what’s happened since I last l saw him at the shop.

After my explanation, Asra seems to have a perplexed expression.

“How do you like that. The day I leave was the day you needed me the most. And even then, you didn’t even really need me at all.”

“Ah, I could have used some of your help.”

 **“** It doesn’t seem like you did. I am worried about that spirit you saw in Lucio's wing, though."

"Me too. Do you think it could be him?"

"I'm not sure, but you need to be careful. Maybe you could find answers elsewhere until I get back."

"Yeah, okay."

"More importantly… your stomach has been gurgling again.”

I hadn't noticed. I feel a flush creeping up my neck.

 **“** You went through a lot today, didn't you? You have to eat.”

 “I know that!” Turning away from his disciplinary tone, I ruffle through my bag. “It’s not like the Countess hasn’t been feeding me, I just like food okay?”

“Ah! Isn't that your favorite bread?”

I nod, uncovering the loaf from its linen wrappings. The smell hits me with a powerful ache.

“I got some more today at the market, after the announcement.” I start eating immediately, to Asra's obvious relief. The attention is a little embarrassing. I concentrate on chewing until the silence becomes unbearable.

I swallow the soft bread down quickly. “The baker said you basically pre-paid for the bread so I could get some for free.”

 **“** Did he really? Well…”

“Asra, you don’t have to do stuff like that for me…” I pause, my feelings bursting into a sigh of confusion. “But, thank you. Really.”

He smiles, and I feel the urge to break the silence again.

“Where are you anyway?”

He looks across his shoulder at the sparkling, swirling galaxies overhead. His smile is relaxed.

“A place inside of me. Who would have thought you’d be able to reach me here? Your magic is inescapable. I think you’ll be able to follow me all the way.”

“All the way… to where?”

 **“** You’ll know when we get there.”

“I see… you’re teasing me again. As if you’d let me go with you anywhere anyway.” I roll my eyes again, finishing the last crumb of the spiced bread, but Asra's expression seems sullen at what I've just said. 

Faust bobs from side to side in anticipation. Then, she dips her tail in the water, making slight ripples.

“You seem to be happy, Faust; lots of energy. Being around Ezi does that to you.”

I nod and look at her as she slips her tongue out.

“You two have definitely gotten closer. She’s opening up to you. It may be time for me to do the same.”

“Eh?”

I nearly choke on the last of the bread. My face must be a sight, because it makes him laugh, high and unrestrained.

 **“** No, really. It’s true. I want to start being more honest with you. What’s on your mind? Ask me whatever you like. All that _I_ ask… …is that you start being more honest with me, too.”

His gentle gaze washes over me, bringing me calm. But I have a few burning questions.

 _“_ Who is Julian to you?”

I’ve seen the depth of emotion that crosses the doctor’s face when he speaks of Asra.

 **“** Julian? Ah, yes… he goes by that name, too. I knew him by another. He was a… friend, once. Then more. And then something else… Something that I had to get away from. Who is Julian to me… who is he to anyone? Whoever he needs to be, to get what he wants. To think he would come for me, after all that… let’s leave it at this. He’s a hack physician with a lot to learn. Until he does, nothing good will come of him.”

I nod, processing the insults that Asra has to say about the fine and murderous doctor… it only makes me more curious about Julian, but I’m not sure how much I should pry into their past.

With a deep sigh and a shake of his head, Asra clears the heavy mood. He smiles.

“So that’s what you wanted to know? That wasn’t so bad. Or… is there, perhaps, something else on your mind?”

His twinkling eyes search mine with wordless depth.

I have his full attention. The scattered stars behind him reminds me of the dream the other night.

“Who am I to you?”

His eyes go wide, and his lips part. For a moment he looks confused, almost hurt.

“It’s just… am I just your shop keep to you? A friend? Comrade? You tease me so much, but then you are so distant sometimes… I don’t know what to think.”

He sighs, folds his hands in his lap, and leans forward to look me square in the face.

“Who are you to me? I hope you’re ready to know. I’m glad you asked… it’s been hard to keep it from you.”

My eyes widen with anticipation, and I can feel my pulse rise in my chest.

“You’re… not a student to me. You never have been. You’ve helped me grow. I’ve learned just as much from you as you from me.”

“Come on Asra, you know what I’m talking about… before 3 years ago. Before I forgot everything. Is that really all?”

He peers up at me through his swaying curls.

“Nowhere close. Do you want it all?”

I nod without even thinking. He seems to hesitate, and he closes his eyes. I draw back from the pool as it starts to gently churn, glowing brighter. Glistening, Asra’s image emerges from the water before me. His form shivers and gleams, more like a bubble than a solid being. But it’s him. It’s as if he’s leaning out from the pool, but if I were to touch him, the magic holding him here would burst and scatter.

“We’re no closer than before, but this is better this way.”

“Yeah… cool…” My throat is dry as he continues.

“You wanted to know it all, so I’ll tell you properly…How deeply, how completely I have come to care for you. I… didn’t think that I could feel this way. I even tried to deny it. How could I deny it, though? When my chest is so light, when I can do anything if I’m with you? Every day, my love for you grows, brighter and brighter, until it consumes me. Sometimes, I’m afraid you can see it… and I have to escape, to hide it from you.”

Tremulous moonlight shines through his hands, just shy of cradling my head.

“I don’t want to hide anymore. I don’t want to keep secrets from you. I want you to know. I want you to remember.”

The perfect recreation of his face draws closer to mine, searching my eyes. He wants me to remember?

…How….

My eyes are wide in realization, like the memories were always there.

How could I possibly forget? My heart is racing. His words are resonating through me like waves. All this time, I’ve wondered what he feels for me, why he chose me to call his home.

He loves me… He loves me… He loves me…

The clock strikes midnight.

Suddenly, my chest grows painfully tight, and my head feels like it is breaking. Asra’s eyes flash with concern, intangible touch hovering over my shoulders.

“Ezi?”

“Ah-!”

I’m trying to get my senses back, but I can’t recover, despite all my power and cunning. The strength leaves my legs, dread sweeping over me as I drop to my knees on the lip of the fountain. I can’t speak.

This can't be happening…

“Ezi! No, no, no, no…”

Dizzy, I drop to my shaking hands. They look foreign to me. Something is wrong beyond this situation. But I need to tell him. He said he loves me, but he has to know what's coming too…

“Please, look at me, Ezi. Ezi.”

I drag my gaze at Asra’s panicked face. The pain becomes unreal, like my heart might twist itself out of chest. I can barely scream.

“Okay, don’t look at me. Breathe. I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have tried.”

“What-?”

“I was reckless. Ezi, I need you… to forget.”

“Forget? No-!”

There’s no way I could, even if it kills me, not when I finally remember.

“Asra, please, no—please!”

“You’ll die if I don’t… I’m sorry… Forget, Ezi.”

His eyes are soft again as he reaches for my face.

“No, no, no—I don’t want to forget—stop it!”

I can barely raise my arms to push him away. His watery hands wrap around my cheeks, and his lips kiss against my forehead if I’m made of glass.

All at once, the tightness in my chest bursts like a cool mist, spreading through my veins and putting me at ease. I fall back into his arms, limp like a doll and unable to recall…

Soft, rolling smoke fills my mind, concealing my questions and past, concealing my thoughts. Asra lowers me onto the ground gently.

“I’m…”

Soft droplets settle on my skin. I feel a sense of returning to myself. My breath comes ragged, shallow.

I groan and shift on the stone below my throbbing head as the pain dissipates, then I open my eyes and sit up weakly.

“Oh, great…” I rub my head sheepishly. “I must have used up too much magic! Did I pass out in front of Asra? How embarrassing!”

Faust watches me cautiously, curled on the edge of the pool, as I rise to my feet.

“Come on, Faust, I know. We’ll see him again soon.”

The ache of longing is heavy in my chest, but I must tuck it away. I’m not quite sure why it’s there in the first place. With a shake of my head, I gather the serpent into my arms and head back inside.

 

 

 


	3. BOOK 6: THE LOVERS Risky Maneuvers/Explore the Oasis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The MC parted with Asra at the fountain the night before, and begins the investigation. What she finds out is not what she planned to, and things take a turn for the worse in the Oasis...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Book 6 with some added details and drama :( Enjoy!

**BOOK 6: THE LOVERS**

**Risky Maneuvers/ The Other Side**

“What’s this?” I say faintly. My fingers trace over the wood of the willow tree I’ve seen countless times now in the palace garden. I’m waiting for Nadia to come down from preparing for the day when Faust draws my attention to the carving in the tree.

_My name._

My heart flutters. I never carved my name here, yet, here it is. How-?

“Ezi, there you are.” Nadia comes today with her hair laced in a beautiful braid and in the most exquisite garments as usual.

“Come, the courtier Valerius awaits.”

I step in front of the willow, hoping she has not seen the carving.

“Coming!”

Nadia plays a game of chess with him as we recount the details of the night Lucio was murdered. Valerius tries to test me, and I want to say some foul things to his arrogance, but I know Nadia would prefer solid evidence over validation towards me. Still…

“That was impeccable interrogating with Valerius, Ezi.” The Countess Nadia is complimenting me after our chess game with the lovely courtier as we return. We are walking back to her room.

“I’m glad you told me about your lost memories, Nadia. It helped me figure out what to say and what not to say to him.”

“I’m glad our partnership has brought more details to the case.”

“The fire was magical? I wonder if the Doctor had casted it before he even entered the room, then…”

“We will find out, soon enough.”

There’s a moment of quiet as our heels echo across the corridor. Nadia is much more nonchalant than I expected her to be, though she walks like a powerful Countess should. Still, I’m apprehensive to tell her about the ghostly pale goat figure in Lucio’s room. I’m not sure those mystical details would assist her with facts on what happened 3 years ago.

“Countess Nadia… I should confide something in you too.”

“What is it?”

“…I think I’m going to be sore from the yoga this morning.”

We stop at her door. She stares at me astounded, then starts to laugh.

“Perhaps you should join me again sometime to ease the tension in your body even more.”

“Goodnight, Countess.”

“Good night, Ezi. Hopefully we can find more clues tomorrow, together.”

Once I’ve left Nadia, I can’t think of sleeping yet. My eyes are drawn to the library door, and the key is still in my pocket for the many locks to it that Portia granted me from earlier. I sit at Julian’s desk again. Maybe I can locate him again if I find something else of value to him. Perhaps he can fill in the gaps that are vague in Nadia’s memory.

…To find the truth. All this uncertainty plagues my core as I scatter through books and folios from Julian’s past. I can see visions of him and Asra together, and the time he was trying to heal Lucio, but nothing specific from that night…

I’m warm. My face is red as I envision Asra’s slender fingers around Julian’s cool neck, and they are pressed against one of the bookshelves. He slides his other arm down Julian’s tall frame and slinks his hands into his trousers. Julian makes a heartfelt sigh and moan as he raises his head up for air, then--

Something slinks passed my leg and I’m back in the present.

“Faust? How did you get in here?” I clear my throat and lift the snake up. I swear she is trying to tell me something…

If it has to do with Asra, he may be near again. Crickets buzz with anticipation in the cool night air as I approach the garden fountain. Questions fill my mind, I feel like the more I know, the less I understand. I can only hope speaking to my master will help. Settling at the lip of the fountain, I prepare to drop my jewel pendant into it once more. But the water distorts until I see waving in it a reflection that is not my own.

“Master!”

“Did you call me, Ezi? I was thinking about you.”

“Oh, maybe that’s why it worked so easily this time!”

He leans back, running a hand through his wet hair and smiles at me, water droplets trickling down to me.

“Have you been busy today? Faust looks tired, too.”

I glance down, to where Faust has curled up on the fountain and her head is hidden under body.

With Nadia’s and Faust’s help, I’ve only concocted more lingering questions.

“I know that look,” His voice breaks me from my concentration, “am I in trouble?”

“Ulp!” My face spins to horror as the image of Julian and Asra intimate together comes to mind.

“N-no! You’re not in trouble, I just have some questions…”

“Oh?”

The clues haven’t added up yet, and with everything I’ve seen today, and the own aching in my chest, the mystery that alludes my own life and the situation at hand, my longing to know more about Asra and Julian—

“You’re looking very serious right now, Ezi. These must be some important questions.”

“They are. I’m just not sure where to start. But, to the right of the fountain here there is a tree.”

“Yes? The willow tree.” Asra reflects on it with familiarity. “I used to sit and nap under there for hours when… Well, I remember it. What of it?”

“It has my name on it.”

“It does? Oh, I had forgotten…”

“Did I forget about it too?”

Asra pauses. We never talk about my life after three years ago, the gaping chasm of darkness in place of my past. I always assumed Asra had found me three years ago, but now...

“I didn’t get a headache when I saw the name. I’m fine, you taught me how to control them well enough, but, if you know something…”

“Ezi… If I told you, and it hurt you… What if I can’t fix it, this time? What if something goes wrong?”

“This time?” I understand. Prying into the truth forcefully has always caused me pain. “Listen, that carving is form the past, right? I think maybe if I discover things like this on my own, it won’t hurt me. Will you help me?”

“In anyway I can, Elizabeth.”

He drags my name out, as if desperate.

“I don’t know if I can answer these questions of yours on my own, what a conundrum. Perhaps we should discuss this in person, that would be better.”

“Ugh, I have to wait for you to come back to the shop?”

His response is an open hand towards me, as if we weren’t separated from distance, water, and the fountain.

“…That’s not funny.”

“Ezi, just, take my hand. Please.”

“Okay, weirdo…” My words are playful, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.

“Trust me.” He looks in my eyes. “You’re ready.”

I reach out, fingers running through the chilled water. Then a warm hand grips mine, and I’m pulled down into the water. I sink into blackness, and close my eyes and hold my breath until arms encircle me as I tugged out of the water, stumbling forward into Asra’s chest. He hugs me fully, resting his chin on my shoulder and letting out a soft puff of air.

I’m actually with Asra… and he’s wrapped around me…

For a moment we stand there, frozen in time… I nudge away as Asra pulls back, a little color dancing on his cheeks, and we both look away.

“It’s good to see you. I’ve missed you.” Asra clears his throat and moves a few steps back.

I look around properly. Colors swirl and chase each other in the air, hazy reflections dancing endlessly through undulating mist.

“This is a gateway, a world that doesn’t really exist; a pathway form one world to the next. But you found me here.”

“I did…” I step out of the water to stand beside him as I continue to look around the bright world.

“I wonder what this kind of place can show you, I wonder what is has in store for you… or for us? Stay close, Ezi, we wouldn’t want you getting lost.”

“I’ll be fine! I can handle it.”

“I know you are capable, but if you get a headache, you must tell me.”

“Why?”

“This world is not anywhere in reality, so it may hold answers. It can be dangerous too. We need to tread carefully, especially if we want those memories back. That is something you want, right?”

“Of course I do! Its just… I didn’t think it was possible before. I’ve just been trying to live in the present, but its always in the back of my mind. I want this.”

“This place should be able to help, but that fact you got here means you could be ready for the truth when it comes. I’ve watched you grown so much, in leaps and bounds…”

I can’t help but smile at his praise.

“I didn't want you to get hurt, though, I still don’t, but… maybe I was being selfish.”

“Selfish how, master?” His pace slows, and a shadow crosses his aura.

“How do I put this? Ugh… I hate it when you call me that.”

I scoff. “What? You are my master, though. You taught me everything I know about magic!”

“Uh, how do I explain this? Look, I’m only teaching you what you taught me. To say I’m your master is beneath you. The only thing I showed you was my deck, and you were able to show me even more beyond fortune telling with them and so much more.” He stops moving and leans in closer to my face. “Hmmm.”

“W-what are you looking at?”

“I’m not sure how much time we have left here. I want to spend some time here with you, however little time that is. If you wanted to explore it with me?”

“Y-you’re offering to go somewhere with me for once? This must surely be a dream!”

He laughs, but he faces me fully and touches my fingers. I look down and a electric jolt surges through.

“Well, let’s go then. I want to go with you!”

…That sounded too eager, didn’t it? I practically blurted it out like a child excited for the fair.

Asra laughs softly and then gives me a warm, wide smile.

“Then what are we waiting for? I’m excited to see what we’ll find. First, let me take you to my favorite place.”

We turn left and see a lush jungle that wasn’t there before, the world itself changing as much as the stars. Asra leads us into the foliage, ducking under the oversized fronds and climbing over roots as we go deeper in. Before the flowing trees cover my vision of it, I look up at the smoky paprika sky as it shimmers over our heads. Asra pulls me in deeper, the whole time he never lets go of my hand. He keeps glancing back at me, as if happily surprised to see me still there. Soon the strange trees give way to a wide clearing filled with luminescent creatures. They titter a we arrive, swirling around us and bouncing in excitement. One lands on my nose, chirping at me.

“They must like you.”

A few of the creatures land in Asra’s hair, settling into the fluff with contented chirps.

I giggle. “The little white things have found their white fluffy home.”

Asra laughs and raises his arms just below some of the floating critters.

“They must like you too for that. What do you think they like about me?”

“Hmmm. They must feel like they can tell you anything. I imagine they must feel very comfortable around you.”

Asra settles in the sand, sprawling his limbs out and immediately getting comfortable. He turns his head to look up at the star, some distant wonder in his eyes, Above us, nebulous constellations shift and swirl. Then, he turns to me with the same look of wonder in his eyes.

“…Maybe you make them feel like they’re home.”

The luminous magenta plants nestled below us are reflecting their light on his face; I wonder for a moment if my cheeks are pink too from his warm gaze on me. I cast my eyes towards the creature still settled on my nose as it floats over to him, perching on his raised pointed finger. I drop down with a sigh and sit next to him… and then slide a little closer, until our sides are pressed together.

“…There’s something about you that calls to them.” He continues. “Maybe they find they just can’t take their eyes off you. Or, maybe they don’t know why. There’s a lot to like… Like how you greet them in the morning, or how your eyes sparkle at the newest things and wonders around you. How you’re courageous and honest, and always have the right thing to say to them. How could they choose just one reason?”

My face is hot, and even though he’s looking at the fading sky again I’m speechless.

“Asra…” I stammer. “The little guys have all that to say about me, huh?”

He chuckles. “I guess they do. Yeah.”

“Is this really how they have felt all this time?”

“What do you mean?” He looks back at me and I cast my eyes at the creatures again.

“Well… I always felt, that maybe you—that maybe _they,_ felt that way, but they always leave me, and I wasn’t sure….”

Asra parts his lips, about to say something else, when a noise in the distance interrupts us.

“Is that… thunder? That’s never happened before. You must have brought the rains with you Ezi.”

He looks eagerly to where the storm has gathered, and gets to his feet once more.

“I brought a storm? That can’t be good…” I smirk. “I want to see it!”

We both stand up. “Come on, I want to see it as well.”

The oasis soon fades to thick jungle that muffles our footsteps, thunder echoing all around us. I turn my head to a growl at the edge of my hearing, startling a little when I see a path open up around me.

I move to tell Asra, and find he’s nowhere near. My hand feels empty and cold. Leaves rattle as a wind picks me further down the murky path, a thin wailing moan that seems to call my name.

Something moves in the thick brush, a lurking shadow that beckons to me.

It’s familiar. I know this darkness, its my…

_Ezi…_

A small sharp pain in my head; I grunt at the sudden agony, but I have to know. Shadows lick at my heels, tempting me to move, to heed the call. I just need to take the first step.

“Ezi!”

Asra pulls me tight into his arms, ripping me from whatever compulsion gripped me. When I glance back… there’s nothing there. No darkness, no growling shadows. Just sand and sky.

“Right… first thing about this place, Ezi. It shouldn’t harm you as long as you’re careful. Going down a dark path… Next time, just run away.”

“I… I’m sorry.” I say solemnly. “It just felt…”

He leaves on arm around my shoulders.

“It’s okay. Let’s go, I don’t know how much longer the rain will last.” As he turns us both away, he watches the sand out of the corner of his eye. He stays close to me now as we follow the sound of thunder. We turn a corner in the jungle, and Asra stops suddenly with a sharp intake of breath, eyes wide.

The ground drops off into a steep cliff in front of us, covered in shimmering mist that coalesces further into the ravine. There is the storm. It’s gathered in a the deep chasm, black clouds streaked through with blue lightning. Water races up from the clouds as they cling to rocky cliffs. The droplets dance in the sky, falling upwards in spirals.

“Is this all… because of you?”

“Um, my bad..?”

“I’ve never seen anything like this…” He reaches out to touch the rain, and the world shifts, clouds shooting up all around us, completely drenching the both of us in the rain as the storm rights itself. We’re both pleasantly startled by the cool heavy droplets as Asra draws me close.

“Ezi…”

He turns to me, free hand dropping to rest slightly on my waist. Water clings to his eyelashes, catching magenta starlight.

His face is so close… Rain soaks his hair, trailing down his cheeks and catching on his lips. I can’t look away. I lean forward slowly, until there’s almost no space left between us. There’s something cautious and hopeful in his expression. Neither one of us dares speak and break the moment. I press a hand to his chest, walking both of us back to the rough bark of a palm tree, and he goes willingly. The leaves above us grow to shelter us from the rain, the tree bending to protect us

… and I kiss him like he’s the air I need to breathe. The whole world falls away until its just us, until nothing else matters. Arms wrap around me as Asra surges forward, kissing back with an edge of desperation I didn’t expect. Kisses trail down my face as he follows a path from my lips to my jaw.

Is he… shaking?

We both pull back from breath at the same time.

“Ezi, I… you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to tell you. Maybe here it will work…”

My heart is pounding, even with all the shattering rain, I can hear it, and my senses are wild. I know what he’s going to say before he says it. I’ve heard it before—

“Asra, I love you too—“

There it is again, the crushing pain in my chest and mind. No—why did this happen once more?

“Ahh!”

The lovely dark from earlier that beckoned me before sounds soothing at this point, as I can’t stop the pain from surging through my body.

“Ezi? No!”

The storm picks up around us, abruptly turning fierce. Wild winds whip at us. He pulls us away from the tree, dragging me deeper into the shelter of the shadowy jungle. Long shadows grow around us, darkening the jungle further. The storm is stretching out past the ravine, calling insistently to us.

The raging storm and the pounding in my head, its all so…

“Ezi! Look at me, I’m sorry…. You need to forget again.”

“Again-?” My wails of protest fall short. Asra kisses me between my eyes and I fall back into the sand, and he catches me between his arms.

.

.

As I wake up again groaning beside him, he sighs and rubs his temples.

“What happened? Oh no, I didn’t go astray, did I?”

Asra plants his wrists on his raised knees and looks away from me. There’s a long silence, and I know he wants to say something but can’t.

“…What do you remember, Ezi?”

“What do you mean?” I feel warm, but a shiver runs through my shoulders and I rub them. “Um, we were walking and then the storm started, and we… you know… kissed. Then I guess I woke up here. Did something else happen?”

Still averted, he shakes his head.

“No. Nothing happened. I’m just glad you’re safe, but…” He stands up quickly, looking at the rough shaking trees and wet rains around us.

“You should probably get going. The world can be unpredictable if you’re in it for too long.”

“Hold up! I stand up beside him with a chuckle. “We’re not gonna talk about our romantic kiss in the rain?”

He still won’t look at me, and its unsettling in my bones.

“...It was a mistake, it was too dangerous, Ezi. You almost… before I….”

“What are you saying, huh? I know there was blue lightening and all, but it was kind of cool, right?”

He turns his whole body, and I can see a slight shake of his head.

“It… wasn’t cool, then? You… didn’t like it?” My smile fades. “Asra? What’s wrong?”

“I… you shouldn’t have kissed me, Ezi.”

Thousands of thoughts cross my mind in a split second. I’m defensive and fold my arms, first of all.

“I’m sorry, did you not kiss me back passionately or was that a dream?”

“Just forget it, okay? It was a mistake.”

“A mistake?” I echo with a scoff, but I’m tremendously panicked at this change from him. Didn’t he want me to come here?

“E-enough of this! I thought you… we were…”

He looks at me, patiently waiting for me to finish.

I try to cut past the stammer. “I thought this was, something special… but… do you actually like me? Do you want me to be with you?”

The passing seconds feel like eternity as the heavy storm sprays around us.

“Sorry… I don’t.”

There’s noise all around us, but I heard him explicitly.

The world is tumbling around in the storm, and I feel ashamed, and embarrassed, and…

“Oh, stupid. That was stupid of me, huh?” I’m cold now, shivering in the wind and rain. “Sorry for making it awkward, _master.”_

He spins to eye me at the name, and I hope he’s going to clear this up, but he looks away just as quickly.

“We can still be friends. I won’t make it weird again. _”_

“I would like that. I… care about you, Ezi.”

What does that mean? I shake my head. I’m not going let him see me crumble because of this…

“I’ll send you home then, and I’ll see you soon.”

“See me soon?”

Before I can get an answer, Asra’s hand presses gently to my eyes, obscuring my vision. Reality wobbles, the air bending around me as I fall back into the trees…

I sit up on the edge of the fountain with a gasp, heart beating wildly from the strange journey. Faust lifts her head up from the slumber and tilts it at me, blinking in confusion.

_Asra?_

“…I don’t know Faust.”

_Asra_ … she slithers onto my wrist and curls up there, looking worried.

“…Frankly, at this point, I don’t really care. I want him to come back safe, of course, I just…”

I begin to walk back to my room, the image of Asra framed against a growing storm swirling against my head.

_Sorry… I don’t._

My chest burns, and tears sting the side of my eyes.

“I just can’t do this anymore.”

.

.

.

.

As she’s toddling off to bed at the palace, Asra wakes up beside his snoring beast. He stands up, glancing into the calm, starry blue sky, seeing twinkling stars, and all he can think about is her figure drenched in the rain before him.

_Asra, I love you too._

He kicks the dirt, then picks up some sand, and throws it into the air with a grunt and a yell, forming dust that merely whips back into his face. He sinks to his knees and slams his palms into the warm, mushy sand. The action reminds him of when he clawed through the soil at the Lazarut, and he can’t take it anymore.

**_You can bring her back, but… there will be a huge cost….Are you truly willing to sacrifice it, I wonder?_ **

“She’s not mine, but…” He watches the water spots form in the sand between his arms.

_I want her to be. I want her again so badly, like before…_

They could talk for hours, about nothing or something special in magic, and it was perfect. There were moments in the last three years it was the same as before, but it always ended with headaches and pain…

It was his own fault. He knew he couldn’t have her, even if he was still trying, and yet…

“Come on, you old beast. Let’s head back to Vesuvia.”

He tugs on the rope, and it stands wobbly on all fours before shaking its fur and waking fully.

_“See… her again?”_

Asra contemplates the words, and reflects on the moment Ezi brought the beast in to tend to his wounds back then.

“Yes, to see her again, friend.”

And they’re off.


	4. Book VI: The Forbidden Garden/ I'll Sleep with Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The MC gets to know Julian a little more intimately before things spiral downwards.

Recap: Asra dumped MC in the Oasis in fear of harming her. MC is trying to focus on the case when she hears something in the library...

 BOOK VI: Red in the Water/ A Gift and a Curse/ Laying Low

The next morning it is hard to wake up. I did not get much sleep to begin with.

Thankfully, a servant informed me that Nadia was not going to be working with me today because her headaches were acting up. Poor Nadia…

None of this is a coincidence; Nadia’s lost memories, mine, and the goat spirit lingering in Lucio’s hall. Something big is brewing.

I’m in the library most of the day with the crumpets that are provided to me by the kitchen. I’ve found more clues, but none of them explain what’s happening, or what happened the night the Count was murdered.

I’m bored by the late afternoon. A noise outside rattles me from the library and I venture into an abundant garden of flowers on the castle grounds.

“HOW DARE YOU. DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?”

When I find the squished garden surrounded by the overflowing garden, Portia is feistily chasing a white cockatoo with her seal point cat on her shoulders.

I’m slightly amused at the scene. The cockatoo flaps its wings at the indigent treatment from the clawing cat. It squawks and raises its feathers that them with a harsh warning:

“They’ll never forget me. They’ll never survive without me!”

“Ohhh, that awful bird! He makes me so MAD. Pepi!”

When she catches me standing aways, her whole demeanor changes and her cheeks color in embarrassment.

“Ezi! Fancy seeing you here.”

“Please, don’t stop on my account.”

She did stop, and she fixed her apron as she welcomes me in to the place as her cat Pepi chases the bird off in the distance.

“Welcome to case de Portia: my little oasis on the palace grounds!” A curious vine wraps around her ankle and she kicks it swiftly. “AHEM. Why don’t you have a seat? It must have been a walk to get here, huh?”

We both sit at the carved bench against her cottage.

“You don’t mind me working while I talk, do you? I’ve got a lot of gardening to complete today.”

“Not at all, I’m the one who intruded on your work.” I give the fantastic plants one last glance. “This is amazing, Portia. You did this all on your own?”

“Yep! My little project when I’m not busy at the palace.”

“Wow, you know Asra gave me a potted plant once and I was terrible with tending to it. This takes a lot of work. I’m impressed.”

The thought of Asra makes me fold my arms and cross my legs. Even with this case, I’m still focusing on this stubborn heartache.

But I have a million questions for Portia.

“The Countess is very patient with me working here, but it helps bring some fruits and herbs to the palace kitchen too, so bonus!”

I clear my throat. “So… Julian is your brother.”

I’m almost sure by their interaction at my shop before, and she stops moving to give me a side stunned glance.

“Yes. Sorry about before, I was just surprised to see him.”

I think about the events that transpired with Julian breaking in again, and how I patted him down with double meaning. My cheeks flush at the memory and seeing him bite his bottom lip to contain his own excitement. I barely know him, and yet…

“I was surprised to see him there, too.”

“He’s got a flair for the dramatic. I’m glad to see he hasn’t changed.”

I smirk at this, recalling all the times I bumped into him. “It must run in the family.”

“Me?? Dramatic?? Why, Ezi, how dare you!” She winks. “I learned from the best. Ilya taught me everything I know…” She squares to face me and gives me a smile. “I didn’t know you two knew each other. Did that happen before or after m’lady hired you?”

“Uh, I met Julian the night the Countess visited my shop. He arrived shortly after she left.” I can still remember the glassy eyes of Julian’s mask piercing my soul. “He… was looking for answers, but he didn’t tell me what for specifically.”

“Hmm, that certainly sounds like my brother, just short of being thrust into danger. He could have been caught!”

“Indeed.”

“Why didn’t you tell m’lady?”

Her face is not unkind, and I feel I can tell someone like Portia anything without consequences.

“I don’t want to condemn a man on incomplete information. I want to find out the truth. How can I send a man to death before I’ve investigated his innocence?”

Portia’s eyes seem to glisten as she beams.

“I’m so relieved to hear you say that, Ezi! I don’t really know what mess Ilya’s gotten himself into, but… if he has you in his corner, I get the feeling everything will work out alright in the end.”

“Portia…” Can I really trust Ilya, or rather, Julian? He seems kind, despite some of his actions, like breaking and entering and threatening me, but…

“Yes, Ezi?”

“Thank you.”

“Of course! That’s what I’m here for, pep talks and expert gardening skills. It’s getting late, but I’m glad you came to talk to me.”

“Me too. I’ll… do what I can to help Julian.”

“Thank you, Ezi! I knew we’d become friends!”

I feel energetic. A friend. I certainly don’t want to let her down.

“I suppose I should start by asking him some questions. I’ll try to look for him in the city, I haven’t had as much luck in the library.”

“Sounds like a plan! Be careful, Ezi. And, good luck.”

I nod and make my way out of the lush plants. I look back one more time to see Pepi return to Portia as he bends down to stroke her back, then I head through the forest the same way I went before to track Julian with the scroll…

But I can’t seem to find the path. I rush over to the library (again) and grab one of the folios with Julian’s handwriting on it, and I can feel a glint of his presence once again. As I venture through the thick foliage outside the grounds, I come across a nearby brook that serpentines through the grass. At first my eyes pass over it, but the sickly color fills my stomach with dread.

Red.

I step back with trepidation, seeing the slow red moving water seeping from a forgotten corner of the palace. Poison. I can see the rot and decaying plants around the stream, and I begin to follow it warily into an limestone aqueduct, flowing towards a dark part of the city interwoven with layers of buildings and smoke entangling the air. A crow is swooping overhead, and he looks familiar. I stiffen as the raven perches on my shoulder with a thud, packing at the folio in my hand.

“Um, hello.”

It tilts its head towards me and watches me warily, then with a startle it flies forward, leaving me alone once more, or so I think.

The streaming red water form the palace to the city. Why would this be here-?

“Ezi?”

I whip my head to the right and see a familiar figure slowly emerge into the dim light of the city lantern. Face half cast in the shadow, standing on the aqueduct in front of me, is Julian.

“Julian!”

In his hand is the mask with the long curved beak that he turns to slowly, like he’s contemplating what to do with it.

“Ezi. Fancy seeing you here, hm? Out for a night walk?”

“Actually I was looking for—!“

He sighs loudly, gaze dropping to the reservoir below us.

“Me, I was just… thinking.”

“Okay, but-!“

“Fickle thing life, isn’t it?”

_Did he write this script for a dramatic play?_

My eyes roll quickly, and my gaze hits the red stream.

“Julian, should you be standing so close to that water?”

“It’s harmless, Ezi. It won’t do anything to me, or anyone anymore. Sure some people could get sick, but isn’t it a miracle? They went and figured it out; outlasted it, the plague. Life finds a way.”

_This is a quote from something, I think…_

“Its no matter, the plague is over, ahhh, and so is my career. What good is a plague doctor without a plague? It’s like a count with no city! Or a barkeep with no drinks.” He extends his arms out in a flourish with a wry grin, a piece of his hair falling into his good eye.

I should give him applause, but I do feel bad for him too.

“So, here I am. Throwing away the last piece of a past I can’t reclaim. Pity, isn’t it? Ah well.” He lets the mask drop into the water below, and it sinks into the water.

“Julian…”

“How did you find me, Ezi? Surely this can’t be a coincidence you have found me again.”

“Uh, yeah. I used this.” I hand him the folio, and he observes it momentarily. My eyes fix on the curves and the shapes of the drawing around his notes.

“You used this to find me?”

“Magic…” I try to explain, but the drawing. I’ve seen it before.

“You’re interested in this, eh?”

“That’s grey matter, right?”

His eyes fix up to me, mortified. “How on earth did you know that?”

“Uh, I don’t know. Doesn’t everyone? Its part of the brain, right?”

I look at him to see he’s still fixated on my eyes, and I step back slightly with a flush on my face.

“St-stop looking at me like that.”

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” He hands the folio back to me. “The palace will want those notes back. Here.”

“Ah.” I take it and tuck it into my bag. “Thank you.” I clear my throat. “Julian, we need to talk.”

“Ah, right, you came for me after all then, eh?”

“No—that’s not what—well…”

Where do I even begin?

“Oh, still too flustered by my presence to speak, darling?”

“Y-you wish!” I declare. Why can’t I be more bold around him? It always takes me a moment longer than it does with most people, and he delights in it. Surely a man like him can’t be capable of the atrocities people claim him to have committed.

“Look, I… want to help you.”

His face softens as he listens.

“You already know that, but I’m working for the Countess to solve this case. I’d like to hear from you your side of the story.”

“Ezi…” He straightens up. “Very well then, ask your questions.”

Before I can start, the raven from earlier cuts me off with a ragged screech, nearly flying into us in a frenzy.

“Guards afoot, Ezi! Look lively, we’d best make tracks.”

We both leap into action and run further down the street alongside the aqueduct. Julian gets to the road ahead first, turning back to me as I run. My foot slips on a wet stone, tumbling me backwards into the reservoir below. When I splash into the deep deep water, I feel foolish for tripping, and I quickly swim back up to the surface to hurry on out, but as I thrash through the cold water, something latches and burns on my side, like a bite.

“Ezi!”

Julian has come back, and he pulls me out from my wrists, and I can see a white glowing creature squirming on my side still attached to me. I want to yank it off, but I’m so weak for some reason.

“What-?”

I can see my blood moving through its translucent, glowing innards as it feasts.

“On the count of three.” He grips its slippery form behind its head. “One. Two-“ He forces its mouth to release me with a squeeze and tosses it back into the water. I yelp at the rip in my waist, pulling me to my knees.

“Up you go. Easy now, I’ve got you.”

I gasp for breath as I stumble from the reservoir, sopping wet and slipping on cobblestones and dizziness. Julian half-drags me as we run. I numbly look back in horror to see my blood stain the puddles I leave behind.

So much red. Hovering over a sliced body and screaming voices. My vision is becoming blurred and I feel like I’m being pulled into a dream.

“Hey! Can you stand?”

Julian’s accented voice brings me back into reality, but I can’t move my lips. He’s peering down at my face as we hide in the shadow of a building. I struggle to hold onto his arms, shaking and tremendously dizzy.

“Right, foolish question.” He nods, hefting me up and dragging me the rest of the way.

I’m anxious, and I’m barely able to control the muscles in my legs.

“Leave… me…” I say. He glances down at me but says nothing. If he doesn’t, the guards will catch up to him.

_Run. Please._

Panting, we collapse in a wet heap onto narrow, deserted alley. I’m subsided as Julian hovers over me.

“Let me see that bite.”

My head bobs ambiguously. Whatever words I try to form are stuck in my teeth.

“I’ll have to take that as a yes.” He lays me down and carefully slides my torn garments up and away from my steadily oozing wound. I stare blankly at the stars while his practiced hands work over my abdomen.

“The bleeding won’t stop. Damn.”

He draws back with displeasure and starts peeling off his gloves. My heartbeat leaps at the sight of the murderer’s brand, stark and irreversible on the backside of his left hand. I suppress a shudder as he lays his other ice-cold hand on my open wound.

“Hold still.”

“…” But I can’t. My mid is flowing in and out of consciousness and I can hear screaming still. I’ve heard him say that before.

_“Hold still.”_

_“NO! This is your fault! You scum! How could you? You lied to me! YOU LIED!”_

“ _Doctor, I can do it for you—“_

_“No! Stay back, Ezi…”_

_The screaming is crushing to the soul, or any good part that’s left of it. After everything we’ve done, we don’t deserve a shred of happiness--_

I thrash around weakly, pulse racing in alarm from the nightmare.

“No-! No…”

“Look, you’ll be glad you did.”

With his free hand, Julian pins my shoulder solidly to the stone below me. He’s so strong, I can’t fight it anymore, and I realize I’m back in the alleyway again.

The pain is gone, and the fight leaves my limbs altogether and is replaced by a profound relaxation.

“Why are you helping me? You could get caught.”

His eyes are wide for a moment. “Shouldn’t I? You don’t expect me to leave you bleeding on the streets now, do you?”

“At this point, I guess not. We have to stop meeting like this.”

Julian lets out a bark of laughter, and presses a hand to my forehead, checking my temperature.

“If you’re well enough to joke, you’re well enough to sit.” He helps me sit up, hand on my back. My head swims at the change in altitude. “At least you didn’t catch me breaking and entering this time.”

My eye is immediately drawn to a magic mark glowing under the skin of his throat. Its design looks, familiar.

He catches me staring and a shadow passes his countenance.

“Ah, do you recognize your master’s handiwork?”

I watch as fresh blood blossoms over his clothing. He brushes his bangs back with one hand and coddles the wound with the other.

“You’re bleeding! How—when did-?”

“This was a parting gift to me, a curse. I’m able to take away bodily wounds, as you can see.”

I rub where the wound was in my waist and find it is completely gone, still shaky and weak.

“…And in return, I get to experience them myself….” He groans like he’s exhausted and sways forward. The blood is running freely down his torso, and I grab his shoulders before he falls completely on me.

“It won’t last. It never does.”

“I’ve… never seen Asra use magic like this before.” Even now I’m defending that jerk.

“Oh, its his alright. A curse from a witch who fears commitment.” I can see sweat gleaming on his forehead as we both stagger up onto our feet and I balance him. “I’ve never been bitten by a vampire eel. This should be interesting.”

“If you consider nearly dying for me that….” I’m trying to lighten the mood, but I frown. “Thank you, Julian.”

He blinks owlishly at me, then looks away flustered. “Don’t mention it. Well, circumstances being as they were. I’m just glad you’re all right.”

“Worried about me?” I smirk, and help him undress his coat. “How is this interesting again, exactly?”

“It seems that this curse keeps testing out the limits to this body of mine.”

“Now that does sound interesting.”

He wobbles to stand up straight. “…Oh, it certainly can be.”

We’re startled by the sound of beating boots against the stone; guards no doubt. We hear them coming almost a moment late.

Julian curses and pulls me by my hand and shoulder into an alley nearby. I’m hoping he knows these streets well enough for our escape—

Thoughts of running evade me as his body presses against mine as we crowd into the narrow alley, boxing me against the wall with his tall frame. I can hear the guards run by, and hope their eyes slide over us in the darkness.

This close, I can see the pain painted on Julian’s face, and I can feel the hum of his shallow, slow breathing. His eyes are fixed on the alleyway entrance, but as if he senses my gaze, his eyes move to mine.

I don’t look away this time, and we’re both just staring at one another for answers, or to do something beyond this, and even with his cold hands on my wrist, his thumb massaging it, I feel tenderly affable.

“Ezi…”

His hushed voice saying my name gives me a sensation, but we suddenly hear a thud by the entrance.

“Not the time. Let’s go!”

He grabs my hand and we race out of the alley. The city is in blurs and we zoom through it to evade capture, weaving around buildings with ease, adrenaline at our heels. We splash into a puddle and here a harsh “HEY” west of us down one of the street strips, but we keep going. I trip again and Julian stops running. I glance up at him and I see he’s not only stopped, but he’s fallen to a knee from exhaustion. If he’s feeling the way I did from that bite, surely he’s too tired to keep running.

“Hide, now!” I order. I push him up and back into a dark alley beside us, and I can hear the guards marching this way.

“What are you doing? Let’s go—“

“You can’t run. Stop trying to help me.” I order. His eye is wide and it shifts to the side of the wall where the guards are coming.

“Trust me. Don’t come out for any reason, no matter what you hear, or face my wrath!”

He looks dumbfounded, maybe even a little amused. I think I see a curve to his lips but I immediately leap away from the alley, and try to start running away again.

“Halt, you!”

My heart is racing and I’m annoyed at being found. I roll my eyes back to the guards racing towards me as I watch the two of them slow down in front of me. We’re passed the alley so I know they have not seen Julian yet. I’ll have to wing this.

One of the guards is a short thick pale man, and the other is a tall auburn woman, both serious and staid from experience.

They are quiet for a long moment, speculating me as they slow to a halt in front of me.

“…What’s up?”

“Why were you running?” The man demands.

“Ah! Good question. I was running because… that’s what I do. Run. At night. I’m a magician, so I rarely get time to exercise!”

“Magician?”

“You looked like you were running from something.” The woman notices.

“Well, most people look like they’re running from something when they run—I mean, if that’s what you saw—that’s your prerogative, I guess.” I shrug my shoulders.

The pale man shifts his gaze and smirks as he observes me up and down.

“Little late and dark out for a pretty thing like you to be out and about like this. Don’t you think so, Reptira?” He nods towards his partner.

“Indeed.” She sounds beguiled to, and they are walking towards me slowly like I’m prey, so I take steps back.

“Oh, this _pretty thing_ can handle herself. Now, if you’ll excuse me—“

“Hang on, we’re not finished yet.” The man says. “I thought you looked familiar. You must be—“

“Please, _don’t_.” I warn.

He seems puzzled, like he’s unsure if I’m threatening him or not. He blinks a few times before his look furrows into frustration.

“And just what are you going to do if I call you that, eh, _Witch’s Whore_?”

…

I scoff at the name. “Heh. You must be buddy-buddy with Lester.”

“He told me just how _good_ you were at fortune telling, yeah.” The man chuckles, inching closer as I keep drawing back, away from the alley. “Wanna show us your skill next, baby?”

“Oh, I’ll show you skill.” I raise an index finger. “But, just for the record, I actually am good at being a magician. Maybe if you clowns were good at your job, you would have done something decent, like finding the wanted doctor man, instead of skulking around in the night like hot pigs!”

This angers the man first, and draws his sword. “Not so tough now—“

His head twists unnaturally when a foot collides with it, and he makes a grunt sound as the blood flies from his nose and his body crashes into the street, sword toppling away. He’s out cold. I twist my body as I drop my leg back down after the kick. The woman is shocked for a moment, but quickly regains her focus and yanks out her sword from its sheath.

“Hold on!” I insist, and the guard is miraculously frozen as she grips her blade tightly. “Look, I’ve been asked by the Countess Nadia to find the doctor. We’re on the same side here. I won’t tell Nadia if you won’t that her guards tried to mess with me. I only attacked him in self-defense.”

“Or, I could vanquish you now and the Countess would be none the wiser.”

“True… if you could actually hit me, that is. Do you really want to test it out? I won’t be as easy on you as I was to your mate there.”

We both lock eyes on the unconscious form next to us. He makes a pained gurgling noise but doesn’t get up. The woman’s dark eyes slowly return to me, and we’re both motionless for a moment.

Finally, she draws back with a confident snicker, standing erect and pushing the sword back in its sheath.

“You know, I never believed that prick, Lester. I especially don’t believe it now.”

“So, we’re in agreement, then? You let me go, I keep this secret from Nadia if you don’t tell her I kicked him in the jaw?”

“I don’t see why not. I’m not ready to be killed by a scorned magician tonight anyway.” The woman looks at her partner, reflecting on him.

“…He should wake up soon—“ I try to explain.

“Ep. Nope. I was never here.” She shakes her head and darts back in the direction they came from, leaving me alone.

“…Such loyalty among comrades.” I kick the sword away from the knocked out guard. It’s not until I can no longer hear her footsteps that I tread cautiously back towards the alley. I’m half expecting Julian to be gone, but before I can even reach the entrance, he comes sliding out with his arms about like an enthusiastic dancer.

“Mighty show there, Ezi! Stupendous!”

I scan his giant form for a moment, then giggle. “You have your energy back. Should we..?”

“Yes, let’s hop to it! We’re not out of the woods yet!”

We scurry as we did before, passed dark roads and decrepit buildings. Julian has more strength now; we’re moving so fast, I almost don’t see it. There, nestled between two tall buildings… a blue, messy garden.

“Julian!” I tug on his arm and motion my chin to it as I dart towards it. A thick padlock iron-gate blocks our way inside it. It would make for the perfect dark hiding spot. He catches on to my intention and helps me over the top of the gate. I land rather unceremoniously and Julian drops next to me with light feet. Just in time, I hear the guards run past as we slip into the cover of vines. The still silence of the garden swallows up any sounds from the street, and I feel transported to another realm. It looks abandoned and untamed around use, with wild vines and bushes and roots sprouting all around us. Ivy covers what once must have been beautiful, obscuring wise marble faces and savage stone beasts.

We settle by a dilapidated fountain.

“Look at this place! Ha, that was some quick thinking on your part, Ezi. Looks like you’ve a knack for discovering hidden beauty.” He turns towards me and spreads his arms out in an expansive gesture. “I wonder how many parts of the city have fallen to neglect like this, hm?”

He makes his way carefully over to one of the grotesque statues, stepping over wild vines that block his path with long lifted steps.

I follow after him, trying to see if the bloodstain is still spread on his shirt.

“Worried about me, Ezi? You needn’t be. Perfectly alright. See?”

He spreads his arms out wide, nearly knocking over the bull statue, and swears as he quickly steadies it.

“I uh. Ahem. Reflexes not withstanding.”

I can’t help but giggle as he tries to straighten up with a blush on his cheeks. He turns back to the statue and wraps his arm around its muscular shoulders.

“Ahh, and look at this brute. Hello there, handsome.” He turns back to me with delight in his eyes. “Dangerous looking creature, isn’t it?”

I pick my way over to the statue as well, staring up into its stone face. It almost seems to be regarding me.

“I don't know; I like a little danger.” I say tautly as I stroke the bull’s cheek.

“Oh? I shouldn’t be surprised, Ezi. It seems you’re full of hidden depths.” Julian’s smile falters. “But, do you really mean that? You’re certainly brave, it’s true, but do you know what you’re getting into?”

I have a feeling there’s something more to Julian’s question.

“What do you mean? Isn’t the not knowing what makes it so exciting?”

“Oh, I wouldn't say that’s the _mos_ t exciting thing about it. Ah, hold still Ezi.”

He reaches slowly forward, and plucks a flower off my shoulder. It must have fallen from the luminous trees above. It glows a bright, vivid blue in the dark, star shaped petals curling to close as he touches it. The sight triggers something in the back of my mind.

_There’s no such thing as a blue rose…_

_That’s why the phantom uses them._

_Blue is, after all, the color of the beautiful queen’s eyes,_

_And she is the most dangerous and deadly of us all~_

My interest is aroused by the sight of Julian’s glowing face as he steps closer, offering the flower to me, a quirk to his lips as he twirls it in his fingers, and I’m compelled to smile back uncontrollably at the gorgeous sight of him.

I reach out to take it, but Julian stops me, shaking his head and pulling it back slightly.

“Ah, ah, ah. Careful, Ezi. There’s poison in these petals.”

I stare down at the fragile, unfamiliar flower in his hand.

“What is it?”

“Deadly Starstrand.”

“Ah, the name fits.”

“A single drop of poison distilled from the flower could kill a babe in its crib. Its killed tyrants and kings, innocent and guilty. It could topple entire empires with a careless hand.”

He offers it to me once more, gazing eagerly into my eyes.

“Do you still want it?”

Now, I’m truly focused on the veiny lines and details of the glowing star plant in his hand.

_If Julian wanted to kill a Count, he could have used a more strategic way, like this…_

I pluck the flower from his fingers and lifting it to my nose to smell. There’s something acrid to it, an underlying note of iron and sickness that stings in the air.

“You said the poison has to be distilled. Doesn’t that make it harmless to touch?”

“Well, I wouldn’t eat it if I were you, Ezi. But you’re right. It probably won’t kill you like this.”

“Probably won’t?”

The flower was intriguing, but I’m bored with it now. Julian is standing there with the same smirk on his lips, and its drawing me to him. I let the flower drop to the ground and take a step towards him. He catches it as it flutters down, grinning at me. Fingers brush against my ear as he tucks the flower behind it, touch lingering for a moment, before caressing the side of my face and dropping to my shoulder.

“You’re really okay though, right?”

“W-what? Why would anything be wrong? I’m perfectly alright, Ezi. No. no. I’m better than fine. I’m fantastic.” He leans forward, looking into my eyes, and takes both of my hands in his. “After all, here I am in a beautiful garden with you. Who wouldn’t be delighted by such wonderful company?”

Julian rubs a thumb over my knuckles, a smile dancing across his lips.

“I know I thanked you but it doesn’t feel like enough. You got hurt because of me.”

“Trust me, Ezi, better I hurt in your stead. Besides, you’re much more fragile than I.”

I laugh at the erroneous, unexpected jab, the sound echoing against the garden walls and up into the night.

He quickly presses closer, hand sliding up my forearm, and leans his head in towards me.

“Careful, Ezi. The guards will hear you.” His lips barely brush against mine as he whispers the warning, breath mingling with the heat in my cheeks. A cascade of warmth spreads through my whole body. All I can think about is the space still left between us, but indirectly in the back of my mind I think about the task at hand and how I’m supposed to be questioning him.

I flinch, he probably notices, because he brings himself back a bit too.

_No! Why did I do that? Of course I want him to kiss me! Ezi, you stupid, dumb--!_

“You helped me with those guards earlier anyway, technically we’re even.”

He pauses, still stroking and pressing lightly on my hands, like he’s exploring them, and I let him.

“You know, I almost jumped out to help. I… I was really worried those soldiers were going to harm you.”

“I’m glad you trusted me.”

“Well, I almost didn’t, but I had a feeling you were the most dangerous one in the situation.”

I smirk. At least he’s still trying. “It sounds like you’re not afraid of danger.”

He steps back a bit to speak. “Afraid of danger? Why, Ezi, I live for it. Positively enchanted by danger I am.”

“So pain doesn’t scare you either?”

“Why should it? In my line of work, you can’t be afraid of a little pain. One could say I have…intimate knowledge of it.”

“Oh, really?”

I place a hand on his waist and take step forward, pressing lightly at the wound. He swallows, and grins at me.

“Oho. Are we dancing? I didn’t know you could.”

“I’m full of hidden depths, remember?” I don’t look away, but Julian is preoccupied with my hand on his bloody side.

“What, er. What’s your poison? Tango? Waltz?”

I take another step, pressing fully at the wound now. Every time I think I’ve gone too far with him, I’m always pleasantly corrected to the situation.

The motion doesn’t seem lethal. In fact, Julian bites his lip and makes a muffled noise. He takes a step back, hitting the crumbling wall behind him, and gives me a desperate look.

“S-so not the waltz, then. Pity. I’ve been known to cut a rug-“

Does he… like the pain?

“You’ll have to show me sometime.”

“I’d… like that.” His fingers dig into my shoulder as he makes another moan, gripping me like a lifeline as he slides down the wall a bit. “Ah-! E-Ezi…”

“Yes, Julian?” I lean in close as we both sink to the ground, bringing my ear to him as if I need to hear him quickly. All that comes out of him is more groaning noises, so I smile.

He catches my chin and rubs it in a rough sweep, drawing me closer again. I can feel his lips part to speak, the first rumble of a word escaping into the air.

“”I-!”

We’re interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps quickly approaching. A scowl passes over Julian’s face.

“Right on time.”

“Impeccable timing.” I add with a scoff. We both stand up quicker then we sat and look around the echoing walls.

“Let’s leave before our guests arrive, hm?”

With the garden compromised, Julian takes my hand roughly and tugs me out to the street once more. He leads me deeper into questionable areas of the city, taking wild turns to evade our pursuers. He seems to know this area like the back of his hand—or at least all the relevant escape routes. We approach dilapidated residence at the outskirts in the south district; a few chickens peter around its yard. Julian slows down in front of one of the homes.

“In we go, Ezi!”

Without waiting for me to respond, he clamors through an open window round back, pulling me in after him.

I was strangely concerned by the fact we were heading into someone else’s house on the south part of Vesuvia. Was this his place? It’s not like it should matter—

We creep through the window into the humid hut, ducking under a row if brass bells just close enough to make them hum. Julian hauls me in, steadying me at the waist; I notice his arm lingering around me as his gaze travels the room. The hut is wide, the ceiling low. His hair is dry now, brushing the ceiling and showering his shoulders with dirt.

“Mazelinka! Sorry to drop in like this, it’s the guards. Mazelinka-? Huh. I don’t know if she’s home.”

“Mazelinka?” I feel awkward. He keeps me close with his gloved hand on me as he looks around.

“Yes, a dear friend of mine. Sharp as a…as a hook, great at cards. Hah, she’s definitely not in. But we can weather the storm here, she’s never out too long.”

I can tell he is winded. I wan to say something but he won’t stop talking—

“Say, ah, are you cold? Your clothes are still wet.”

I shake my head. It’s warm after all of the running, the body beside me is somehow pleasantly cool. I feel fine, aside from our closeness—

“No? Good. I wouldn’t want you coming down with something.”

Leather fingers curls under my chin, his unreadable smile suggesting something. The little deep set door rattles, and a Julian straightens up as it flings open, and a small hefty figures burst in, bringing energy to the quaint.

“Ilya! Did you come in the window again, you slippery boy?”

Undeterred after hitting hi head on the roof, he offers his arm to her, dipping for a kiss on the cheek.

“Ah, Mazelinka, aren't you a sight for sore eye!”

I almost laugh aloud at the ‘eye’ part.

“Love the shawl, is it new?”

“You know it isn't. I thought you might be about when I saw the guards. Oh?”

My host blinks at me through wisps of wiry hair.

“Who do we have here?”

I can feel the powerful aura from this independent woman; I look down immediately to avoid being intimidated.

“This is Ezi. A… new friend of mine.”

Right! That’s all we are… friends. Very intimate, hot, friends.

Mazelinka reads our situation like a fortuneteller. “A new friend, eh? Make yourself comfortable, Ezi.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

“Please, Mazelinka will do.” Our host moves into the kitchen with ease, squawking at the state of the yellow flowers by the window. We may have knocked them over while entering—

“Ah, Mazelinka, I take full responsibility for that.” Julian speaks first. “I wasn’t thinking and I-“

“Don't fit through the door. I know. Fetch me a round pot, will you?” Mazelinka is chopping something up at the counter. Julian blinks, nodding and moving to a cupboard set in the dirt wall behind him. There’s a say in his step, and when our eyes meet, his smile is weary. My first thought is the bite he took for me. He said he was alright, and he certainly seemed so in the garden when I was teasing him with it, but…

His gaze is lingering on me. Dazed.

“Hey, are you okay?” I demand.

I watch his profile as he reaches past me and grabs a well-used cauldron from the cupboard. I reach for his hand and his hazy eye flutters open as I grab the bowl form him.

“I’m fine, darling. Why?” There’s a taunt in his overly confident voice. “More importantly, are _you_ okay?”

I didn’t expect him to turn and survey me, a spark of interest in his hazy eye.

“I think so—“

“There you are, my dear, Ezi.” He presses his leather palm on my forehead, scrutinizing my temperature, then he drops his hand in a flourish. “Do you feel strange in any way right now?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Experiencing any tingling? Some people have described a tingling sensation after.”

The soft, tired grin on his features makes me wonder what he means specifically.

“After what?” Mazelinka demands.

“After using the curse, dear.” He peeks covertly at my belly where the wound used to be, rearing back when Mazelinka steps between us.

“And what did you use it for? What have you gone and done to yourself this time?”

“Nothing I wouldn’t do again.”

I’m almost flattered at the statement.

“I’m okay, Julian.” I fix him a firm stare. “But, show me the bite.”

With a furtive glance to our host, he unfastens his jacket at the bottom and lifts the bloodied shirt underneath.

“What do you think? Good as new?”

The skin over his waist is perfectly smooth. I can hardly tell where the bite was in the first place.

“Are you impressed? It’s your master’s magic, shouldn’t be a big surprise for you.”

“Julian, I don’t think…” I don’t want to think about Asra, but I don’t think he could have caused this. While I try to recall, the cauldron is whisked from my grasp. He stills it over the fireplace and I follow him. That’s no ordinary brew.

We catch eyes for a moment. I look away as Mazelinka walks back to the counter, rolling a dry sprig of purple herbs between her thumb and fingers, sniffing and clicking her tongue in disapproval.

“Ech, worry wort’s gone stale. I’ve got more in the garden…pardon me, Ezi.” Our host grabs a rusty knife and weaves around through the door, humming, leaving us alone together. The moment she’s left, Julian slumps against the counter with a great sigh, leaning heavily on one arm.

“Huh, who would have thought that bite would take so much out of me…Not to belittle your bite, mind you. I’ve treated a dozen, unfortunately… You’re the first to make it. Well, you and I.”

His gaze is soft and flickering in the light, until a shadow crosses his brow, and he looks away.

“…They’re not aggressive, the eels. And they wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the… the Count.”

He said it as though to remind me why we are hiding. He stills, watching me. Until I know. I will never understand him until I ask straight out.

“Did you really do it?”

I don't have to explain. His wide eye fixes at the floor, pulse jumping at his temple, then he fixates on the ceiling. His throat bobs and his chest shakes with nervous laughter.

“I’m sorry, I keep asking myself the same question. When you say it… its much less irritating. Did I really do it… If I told you the truth, would you believe me?”

“Yes.”

“Then, you’re too trusting.”

“No, I can just tell when you’re lying.”

“Heh.” He looks down now, his fingers trailing on the counter. “You can’t say you know me that well just yet, Ezi.”

“You may be right, but I can still tell.”

There’s a pause. He steeples his legs until he is finally looking at me.

“I know I wouldn’t do it. But I’ll let you decide for yourself, Ezi. Did I really murder the Count? What if I told you I couldn’t remember?”

“You—what--?” Someone else with lost memories. Mazelinka comes stomping in with the herbs and examines Julian for a second.

“Ilya, you’re barely on two feet. When is the last time you slept?”

“Ah, well, ever since the curse I don’t really need it the way I used to, dear.”

“Says who? Your eye is rolling, curse shmurse.”

“I call bull.” I say bluntly. Mazelinka gives me a coy look, then nods her head.

He drops his gaze to the floor, to my feet. It trails up to my face, and Mazelinka raises a steely brow.

“I’m fine, really. Haven’t felt this good in a while.”

I can feel his gaze on me as I watch Mazelinka toss a handful of sand into the cauldron and stir it in with her wooden spoon.

“I’ll be very happy for you after you’ve rested. Go on. Shoo.”

“…Just until after the soup is done.” His eye wanders my features in a slow thorough path, as though fixated.

_If he doesn’t stop looking at me like that… well, I can’t exactly approach him with Mazelinka right there._

_…Or maybe its just exhaustion._

Mazelinka chortles a little as she spins more herbs into the caldron. “Just ‘til the soup is done. Well? Will you survive that long without her?”

Both of our faces turn pink.

“I’ll survive.” He looks away from the both of us.

I giggle a little at the heat on his face as he moves towards a nearby curtain, passing me by and sliding his hand into mine.

“You’ll have to excuse me, Ezi. You’re in good company.” He pulls away and disappears behind the curtain. I share a look with Mazelinka, and we both smile.

She cracks her well-worn knuckles with a bellowing sigh as she stirs the soup.

“So, Ezi, you running from the guards too for some reason?”

“Aiding Julian would be my first offense… well, as far as the Countess is aware of, anyway.”

Mazelinka makes an amused chuckle.

“I’m glad he has a place to come to in times of trouble. It seems like he gets into it a lot.”

“Oh, you have no idea.” She makes another sigh as she turns to face me. “He won’t do it. Sleep. He’ll be pacing around unless someone pins him to the bed.”

“That sounds about right…”

“One of us needs to keep an eye on the brew though… hmmm. Ezi, you’re the guest. Would you rather watch him, or the brew?”

My host arches a brow and watches me expectantly over the bubbling pot.

I do want to know what Mazelinka is making, but Julian is in the room, and I need more answers.

Or maybe, that’s just an excuse.

“I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Mazelinka grins, baring silver teeth, and gestures to the partition. “I’ll be watching the brew, then. Won’t be long.”

My ears burn as I pass her, crossing to the curtain and ducking inside. I find Julian on the edge of the bed, loose shirt hanging form his shoulders, gloves off, boot in hand. He’s fumbling with the other when he notices me, giving me a wily smile that gleams in the candlelight.

“Ezi, did you come to tuck me in?”

“Something like that.”

The clasp on his boot clicks back, and he kicks it away with a yawn.

“I know when I’m beat. This healing takes a lot out of me, whether I like it or not. Isn’t it amazing? Stab me in the back and I’ll walk it off, but with the healing it takes everything I got. Can’t escape it.”

We’re startled apart by our host as she peeks past the curtain, bearing a steaming bowl.

“Drink.” She orders him, raising the bowl towards him, but he doesn’t take it.

“Ezi, will you be staying the night as well?”

“Oh! I would hate to intrude, Mazelinka. You’ve been generous letting me barge in here already—“

“Nonsense! Besides, its not safe out there this late at night.”

“Oh, but she could handle herself, dear.” Julian almost lunges away from the bowl. “You should have seen her tonight! She jabbed a guard clean in the jaw when he tried to threaten her! Ah, he was out like a candle.”

He’s raising his arms like he’s telling a fantastical story, pleasing me.

“Ohh, impressive.” Mazelinka’s thick brows raised. “But you must be tired too. I’m sure you’d rather rest than have to fight your way through some guards to get back home.”

“I agree with her, Ezi. I’d feel better knowing you were safe tonight.”

“Ah, yes, then I’d hate to disappoint the both of you.” I say with a grin.

Mazelinka is still holding the brew. Julian eyes it wearily.

“Oh, its that kind of soup?” He complains.

“Like you didn't know before. I won’t have you run yourself ragged into the grave. You’re still human, Ilya.”

He mumbles in protest like a child when the bowl is in his hands, so Mazelinka takes it and places it in my hands.

“Ezi, would you be a dear and see that he drinks? I have a feeling he’ll take whatever you’re giving.”

I feel warm with all this teasing.

“What for? I’m not even tired any-mooooremmmn.” He yawns, wiping at his eye. Our host past me on the arm and departs, leaving us alone in the small space with candlelight.

“She makes this soup when I can’t sleep. Bless her. It works every time, even when I’m stress-raving mad. ‘Don’t know what she puts in it.”

I imagine I know what she put in it if I had paid attention. I peer into the shimmering golden brew. Is that Queen’s golden glow?

I can see Julian waiting obediently, hovering near the bowl in my hands. Warm light gleams off his tongue as he licks the seam of his lips.

“And… it takes fantastic.” His gaze trails up to my face, fixating dreamily on my mouth. An invitation… or a distraction.

I move to sit on the bed bringing the bowl to his lips. He pulls back a little, chuckling, looking down his nose at the golden brew.

“I don’t have to sleep just yet. We could stay up and you know…”

I swallow. He really is persistent, but I like it.

“…Get to know each other a little better. What do you say?”

“That is why I’m here, isn't it?”

“It is.” His grin can’t possibly go any wider.

“So, you’re willing to tell me all the secrets that I ask of you?”

“As long as we’re talking…” He raises himself closer to me, but I tilt the bowl back towards his lips, silencing him as he starts to drink, huffing through his nose.

“That does sound good, and we will be talking, Julian. But, you got hurt because of me tonight, and you need to rest. So drink up.”

His eye upon me is thoughtful, considering me. Without fuss, he drains the bowl down to the last drop.

“Ah, yesss. Very smooth… better than I remember.”

An airy satisfied sigh. I follow the path of his tongue as it tastes the corner of his mouth, slips behind grinning teeth. He probably notice my intense gaze on him as he bites his bottom lip.

“Mmm, Would you… like a taste?”

Cautious fingers curl around the back of my neck, and I lean towards him as he leans up to meet me. A kiss, I realize fully as his eye slides shut and my pulse starts to quicken. His mouth caresses mine, fine lips move elegantly, drawing me in, making me respond with a soft moan. The taste is smoky, complex. It fills my senses, and it makes me want more.

I lean back and Julian watches my every move as I set the bowl aside, dropping a knee to on the bed and leaning over him again for another kiss. I wind my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling a soft sound of satisfaction from his throat as he draws his lips to mine.

“Mm… oh, Ezi…” His arms wrap around my back as his mouth returns my simple caress with ravenous hunger. I tighten my fingers in his hair, and he groans, excitement simmering in his eye.

“Come here, come closer.”

I’m drawn over him onto his bed, thrown off balance as my lips are devoured in a heated embrace. It overwhelms me, and I pull back by the nape, wrenching a hiss through his teeth.

“What, what’s wrong? Too much? You can tell me, I’ll be good.”

His eager, flushed expression makes me want to tease him. I watch his chest heave as he waits for permission. But I have other curiosities. I place a hand on his breastbone to pin him, and he falls back without protest, eye lidded and lip biting.

“I was told you needed to be pinned down.” I say quietly with a smirk.

“If it’s you doing the pinning, trust me… I’m not going anywhere.”

I lean in close, about to bring our mouths together again in a heated fury—

“That’s enough for now, you two.”

Ears burning, I disentangle from Julian’s arms, sitting back on the bed and wiping my mouth. Mazelinka throws a sheet over his flustered form, and turns her twinkling eye on me.

“Ezi, I trust you’ll be sharing the bed? Unless… You’d rather sleep in the hiding hole? And I’ll cozy in with him.”

Hiding hole? I didn’t notice one, but I guess that’s why it’s called a “hiding” hole. Still flushed, Julian clears his throat, leaning back on the bad in a casual pose, gaze still hot on me.”

“I’ll sleep with him.”

Mazelinka smiles, patting Julian’s hand as his weary face splits into an embarrassing grin.

“Ahem. There you have it, dear. Don’t worry, I’ll be an absolute gentlemen.”

“Oh, will you? Ezi, hold him to that.”

“Absolutely. Hold me however you want, Ezi.”

I join Mazelinka in an eye roll. She swats his arm and gathers his things from the floor as she moves to the partition.

“And get some sleep already!”

“That I can’t promise you.”

I flush as the curtain swings behind her. Settling as her footsteps shuffle away. We’re alone. Julian waggles his eyebrows out me and a burst into a chuckle as he moves to make room, splaying his long form artfully on the twin bed.

“Look at that, Ezi. Nice and spacious.” He tosses back the sheet, welcoming me inside. I feel almost jittery as I slide into the bed.

“Thank you.” The sheet covers both of us as Julian tosses it onto me. He mumbling something as he turns his head the other direction, folding the sheet over his entire form. When he looks back, a bittersweet expression crosses his face, thick hair falling over his brow, hiding the deep lines there.

I reach over to brush it away, and he stiffens at the touch.

“Ezi…”

“We can talk more tomorrow, Julian. You sure you’re good?”

“Don’t mind me. Just rambling… I must really be exhausted.”

A gentle touch to my jaw, and he draws me to meet his lips again, lingering as if he expects me to disappear.

“Goodnight, Ezi.”

I want him to kiss me again, but he turns away. I watch his profile, the rise and fall of his chest, and then I reach for the candle at the bedside table. With a flick of my fingers, it’s out.

I turn away from him as I try to sleep on my side, facing the partition. My eyes adjust to the dark quickly, and I’m fixated on the patterns on the curtain. Lost memories seem to be a dramatic theme in this mystery. How is it that Nadia, Julian and I have forgotten so much vital information? Maybe we are not the only ones…

Asra might know something, or maybe he forgot too. I could still ask him, but my thoughts linger on the oasis, and I have no desire to see him right now—

Julian’s arm wraps around me and he makes a tired, deep sigh. I focus on his low breathing as it fans the back of my neck, then it changes to more shallow breaths.

“Julian-?” I whisper. His hand trails up my waist slowly, along the curve of my hips up to my right breast, until it lands on my shoulder. He makes a grunting noise as he moves around a bit, then his hand goes back to my waist as he pushes himself gently against my back. I slide back into him, and his other arm snakes around my body until it’s hanging over my neck.

I blink, processing how I can make this more comfortable. I slowly try to turn myself so I’m facing the ceiling, and his snaked arm goes back to him. He keeps his arm on my waist and draws me in from my back. His eye flutters open for a moment, and I turn to face him so we can both embrace each other now. I can see the gleam in his eye. Our lips touch again and our arms start roaming each other as we make soft moans into each other’s mouths, moving to press and grope at the curves and lines of our bodies. I feel under his thin shirt at the hair and muscles on his abdomen and chest, he strokes his long fingers up and down my hips and breasts, and its like we’re trying to tether our bodies together as our legs kneed between one another, unable to get closer than we already our.

We do this forever, it feels like. Time passes in the dark rather mysteriously, and seductively, and all I can think about is being closer to him. I draw hand to his belly, and slide my fingers lower into his pants.

“Ah-wait-!”  
He grabs my arm quickly and I look up at his face. Even in the blackness, I can see the hot red glowing on his face, and he’s biting his lip with a shutter.

“Sorry—too far?” I can’t believe I have to say it. I thought he didn’t mind me pressing his buttons.

“No—but, if you keep going, I won’t want you to stop. I might not let you stop. We’ll wake the whole neighborhood up if you don’t. Mazelinka will throw a fit.”

I try not to look disappointed, but I pout my lip. Even the thought that he wants me and he wants to make noise like that makes me want to press further. I lift my wrist out and rest it on his side.

I chuckle. “You’re right.”

Our foreheads bump as we lay there, catching our breath. Both of manage a soft laugh as we settle in. We listen to each other’s breathing without a word, not needing to talk or break the silence as our breathing tires down in unison. I’m suddenly sleepy, and I can hear Julian’s voice catch in his throat like a small snoring as he drifts off to sleep. With a warm smile on my face, so close to him, I eventually fall out as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, reviews are welcome :) So, I inserted a few parts. I really can't see MC as someone who is too fragile, so I hope the fight scenes aren't bothering anyone. Anyway, more to come; I was going to include Muriel only for a short while, but I'm eager to get to the justice crossover too with Asra and Julian. There's a big included scene coming up before the "Dock Talk" too. Thank you!


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